


A Vampire in Bonesborough

by MarcoMarco



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Gets Real Towards the End, Monster Luz, Vampires, mostly canon-compliant, motherly eda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:54:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 61,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26656960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarcoMarco/pseuds/MarcoMarco
Summary: An accident turns Luz into a Vampire.And, unfortunately, Emperor Belos isn't too fond of vampires.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 94
Kudos: 505
Collections: We_Love_Lumity





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright. So, this is my first fic in nearly seven years. If you're expecting perfection or a masterfully crafted piece of work, you're in the wrong place. But, if you're expectations are a little lower, I will be happy to do my best to meet them.
> 
> I'm also getting back into fic writing to improve my overall ability to write, so if anyone has legitimate pointers or tips, I'm all ears.
> 
> Thanks in advance for reading!

“Amity! Come here, quick! I found something really cool the other day and I want to test it out.”

Luz could not wait to show Amity the glyph she found the other day. A smile stretched from cheek to cheek on her face, as she waved her hands to get her green-haired friend’s attention. Amity had her wand pointed at an unsuspecting tree as she prepared to test out a new electrical spell she had learned on it. Upon hearing Luz’s energetic voice, she lowered it and jogged over to her friend, a small smile spreading on her own face.

“What is it, Luz? New glyph?” Amity asked, coming to a stop in front of her friend.

“Yep. Found it in some cave while I was exploring the other morning. Not sure what it does but I really want to find out!” Luz fetched a stick off the ground and got to drawing the glyph in the dirt.

Amity frowned. “You don’t know what it does?”

Luz shrugged. “I tried to activate it on some of my paper, but all it did was shrivel up the paper and gave me nothing! No fair! And a waste of paper, too!”

Amity knew that Luz found most of her glyphs either from the magic circles she saw or from nature but finding a glyph in some cave made her a little uneasy. “Are you sure it’s safe Luz?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Luz continued to draw the rather complicated glyph. She only paused once to activate a few light spells. The sun had already set, and darkness had sneaked its way into the forest they were practicing in.

“I don’t like that you found it in a cave. It could be dangerous, and I don’t want you messing with something that could get you hurt.” She frowned at the glyph that Luz was finishing up. Her friend was always so eager to learn more and more about witchcraft, but as she had seen on numerous occasions in the past, that passion has gotten Luz into trouble.

As much as she loves that passion, she wanted her friend to stay safe. Amity nearly had a conniption only a few weeks back as she watched Luz and the rest of the Owl Gang escape Emperor Belos by the skin of their teeth. She hid most of her fear well as Luz told her the story a short while afterward, but frankly, she was terrified of losing her first crush.

The idea of Luz facing the Emperor, the most powerful witch alive, by _herself_ made her sick to her stomach. It tumbled and flipped like an acrobat when she learned that was not even the only time death had nearly grasped her favorite hyperactive knucklehead. Luz seemed to have handled everything well, at least on the outside, but Amity found herself more protective of her crush than she had been before.

Luz finished the glyph and jumped to her feet. “Ta-da!” Amity inspected the glyph and her frown grew.

Intricate markings. It was the most detailed glyph she had ever seen Luz draw. Its level of complexity reminded her of stained glass. Lots of different shapes here and there, and extremely detailed; a far cry from the light glyph Luz had shown her back at the covention.

“What do you think? Pretty awesome right? I figured it needed more power since each day nothing seemed to happen when I tried to draw it on paper.” Luz smiled but Amity’s unease only grew.

Luz raised her hands in the air like a football goal, ready to cast, but Amity pulled her arm up, blocking her. “Wait Luz, I don’t like this.”

“Oh, come on Amity! Nothing is going to happen!” She proudly stuck her thumb into her chest as she puffed it out. “You are with the only witch that battled the Emperor and lived to tell the tale! I won’t let anything happen to you!” Normally such optimism and Luz’s goofy smile would have made Amity ready to melt, but she was serious.

“Luz, something doesn’t seem right about this.”

“Aw come on, you worry too much!” Luz’s froze, then she narrowed her eyes at her friend. Amity’s face went blood red.

“Oh, I _see_ Blight.” Her smile now replaced by a mischievous smirk; Luz poked Amity in the ribs. The teen nearly jumped out of her skin. “You afraid I’m gonna catch up to the mighty Amity?”

Okay, now it was Amity’s turn to smile. Time to put Luz in her place. “Yeah right, _human._ You’re a thousand years too early to be thinking about catching up to me.” She slid her finger behind her back and cast a spell. Luz’s cape that Eda had made for her slipped right over her head, drawing out a surprised yelp from human. Amity giggled as Luz fought her own cape off as if it had a life of its own.

“Curse you, Blight!” Luz said, giggling. “You better hope this glyph doesn’t summon something I can use for revenge!”

She yanked her cape off her head and threw it behind her, glaring at her friend who hid her hand behind her back. Amity turned away and whistled, playing the innocent fool.

“Alright Amity tell you what. You run and get Eda and Lilith if something goes wrong. We’re not far so if it’s a monster that gets summoned, I can run around long enough for you to get reinforcements.”

Amity’s frown returned and she sighed. Of course, she could not argue with her. When Luz has her mind set on something, she is an unstoppable force. She knew that of course. It is part of the reason why her crush on her burns so strong in her chest.

“Fine. Go ahead and cast it. It’ll probably summon a rat or something.” Amity gave Luz some space, sitting on a rock nearby.

“Thank you, _Mittens_.” Amity shook her head and flashed Luz a little sign from the human world: the finger. Luz laughed, took a step toward the glyph, and slammed both her hands onto it.

And everything went wrong.

Green light exploded from the glyph, causing Amity and Luz to jump back. Then came the sounds.

Chirp. First it was isolated, then another followed. Then another. In mere seconds, the silent dark forest was filled with constant, overpowering chirping. Luz and Amity covered their ears, but it did little to block out the sound.

Luz was stunned and confused. What the hell did she just summon?

Her answer came in the form of a tiny, transparent wing. The creature crawled right out of her glyph, green and glowing. Long, pointed ears, a strange nose, and black eyes.

It was a tiny bat, holding itself up on its fingers. Luz squinted. It would have been cute if Luz could not see right through it, or if it had not appeared while she was going deaf thanks to its invisible friends.

Luz’s shoulders fell a little, but she kept her hands to her ears. “Oh okay, so I just summoned a little bat friend- “

The bat launched right into the sky, and it was not alone. A torrent of the nocturnal creatures followed it, all green and ethereal like tiny loud ghosts. Luz and Amity looked to each other as they stepped back more, still not sure of what to do.

“Luz, I think we need to get back to the Owl House!” Fear seeped into Amity’s voice. She prepared a shield spell and willed it to cover both her and Luz. She tweaked it to where it blocked out most of the deafening chirping of the ghostly bats.

“What was that?”

“We need to go back to the Owl House, Luz. This is getting dangerous- “

“Look!”

A much larger wing broke out of the ground, coming from Luz’s glyph just like the bats. The two teens’ eyes widened as their brains processed the creature that pulled itself out from the ground.

A much larger bat, the size of a small car, drooled at them. Its eyes were locked right on Luz, and she was now sure that the creature was _no_ friend of hers.

“Amity.” Luz pulled out a few fire and water spells, holding them in her hands. “I’ll distract it with some steam, and hopefully that’ll give us enough time to get away from it.”

The bat growled, baring its teeth at the witchlings. “Okay, Luz I’ll-”

A flash of green and their shield was reduced to dust. Amity and Luz were frozen in shock. They did not even see the bat move.

Amity recovered first. “Luz, get behind me and I’ll- OOF…” Another flash of green and the Blight was airborne. She crashed into a nearby tree, dazed and in pain. She rested her head on the trunk, grabbing her stomach and wincing.

“Amity!” Luz started in a run towards her friend, terror gripping her. The bat roared and cut her off.

“Move!” Fire erupted from the glyph on her hand. The bat stood its ground, letting the flames simply phase right through it.

“What?” Luz threw out more spells. Ice stabbed the bat in its gut, but it was unaffected. Roots sprung from the ground, trying to trap it, but it advanced on her unimpeded. She had to do something, but she was running out of options.

The bat lunged for her, and she rolled away just in time. She got up ready to send more spells it’s way, but she was too slow. It charged into her stomach with its head, sending her rolling onto the ground. She groaned in pain and started to rise to her feet, but the creature was in her face, their faces meeting.

Luz’s heart raced. Her breathing was rapid, and she trembled like it was frigid. Worse, she had gotten Amity hurt. She chanced a glance over to her, and she was relieved to see her on her feet, already preparing a spell to rescue her from this monster. It seemed that it would be Amity looking after her, and not the other way around.

But Amity was too slow.

The bat opened its mouth and bit into Luz, its teeth sinking into her left side. Blood erupted like a fountain. Amity froze in her place and screamed, but Luz’s own shriek drowned hers out. Amity stumbled forward, tears stinging her eyes as she prepared a barrage of spells.

Fire, plants, ice, water, abominations, she threw everything at the bat that held her friend. The beast released Luz, who dropped to the ground, unmoving. Just the same as Luz’s spells, Amity’s spells flew right through the beast and instead decimated the forest behind it. Her two large abominations attempted to punch, kick, and grab the bat, but their slimy hands grasped nothing, and no attacks connected.

Amity’s own heart raced, both from exhaustion and fear. Despite this, she continued to advance toward the monster, who growled at her and looked ready to attack. Only it did not.

Before Amity could summon more spells and drain the last of her energy, the bat disintegrated into glowing dust. The other glowing bats who had been flying around also disappeared. In shock, Amity’s eyes rushed over to the glyph, only to find it dimming slowly before completely going out.

They were gone. Amity would have been relieved, but Luz’s coughing and weak groans snapped the terror back into her.

“Luz! Luz, I’m here!” Amity got down to Luz. She gasped.

There were massive holes in Luz’s body where the teeth sunk in. There was so much blood Luz was practically swimming in it. Her eyes were half-open, and when Amity look at them, she could see even in the darkness that Luz was quickly losing the battle for her life.

She swallowed and fought back tears. There was always a chance and she should never give up. She used her remaining strength to pick up the human in her arms, bridal style. She would get her back to the Owl House and have her healed, or…

No. Luz was going to make it.

She got to her feet, ignoring the aching in her stomach, and got sprinting, right to the Owl House.

\------------------------------

“Hoot hoot, hey Amity!”

“Open the door, NOW”

“Wow. What’s is _your_ …” Hooty’s eyes went wide when he saw Luz in Amity’s arms. As stupid as the house demon was at times, he quickly grasped the seriousness of the situation. The door flung open and Amity stormed into the Owl House, startling Eda and her sister Lilith, who were sitting on the couch.

“Eda! Lilith! Luz got hurt! It is bad and I need your help!”

The sight of a bleeding Luz got Eda on her feet. She slid everything off the table in front of her and Lilith. Cups shatter and food hit the floor, but the Owl Lady hardly cared. “Put her on the table now!”

Amity gently set the human on the table. She was still breathing, but her breaths were few and far in between. Tears were in her eyes, and her voice was low and weak. “Eda…” She barely managed to speak, barely above a whisper.

Eda put her hand on Luz’s forehead. It was losing its warmth. “Kid stop speaking. We are gonna do everything we can. You’re gonna get through this!” Eda’s eyes shot to Lilith. “Get the healing glyphs and my staff. I’ll have to use my own magic. I’ll be out of commission for a while, but it’ll be worth it once this kid is back on her feet!” Lilith nodded and went to fetch her items, rushing out of the living room.

Eda’s eyes meet Amity’s, who was fighting the urge to cry. “Explain to me what happened? What did this to her?”

“Sh-she casted some spell a few minutes ago. There were bats everywhere and then this big one came out. We tried to stop it, but it ignored all our attacks. It bit Luz and then disappeared.”

Eda’s eyes widened but she nodded. Lilith came in with Eda’s items, with King in tow.

Eda shouted to King. “I need you to prop Luz’s feet up with something, anything!” King nodded and went to grab a pile of books.

With Luz’s legs up, Eda grabbed her staff and prepared a barrage of spells meant to save her students life.

Lilith summoned her own staff, ready to assist her sister. Her eyes widened as she took in Luz. “She’s going into shock, Edalyn! I will stop the bleeding! You focus on repairing her damaged body!”

Eda nodded and the two got to work. Spell circles appeared all over the teenager. Two master witches poured all their remaining power into healing her.

Amity held Luz’s hand, which was now cool to the touch. The witchling’s breathing was in a race with her heart rate. Moments ago, the smiling, hyper Luz was goofing off and practicing her spells with her. Now the life was fading from her eyes as she bleeds out right in front of her.

Amity pulled Luz’s hand to her chest. The tears flowed but she did not care. This was _not_ happening. Not to Luz. Not like this! Please, let her survive this!

Amity swore this was the last time she would watch Luz get hurt. She would do whatever it took just so long as her favorite person survived!

“Damn it! We’re losing her, Eda!”

The spells were working. Luz’s wounds were closing fast, but she just went unconscious. Eda had casted a spell to monitor her vitals. Her condition brought panic to her voice. “We’re healing her wounds and fixing her body as fast as we can. Damn it, Luz, you can do this!”

The group did everything they could. Eda and Lilith exhausted everything to pry Luz’s from Death’s grip. But it was too little too late.

Amity froze when she felt Luz’s grip go slack. She gasped, shaking violently before she let out an anguished scream. “NO! LUZ!” She cradled Luz as she sobbed, her worst fear come to life.

What she felt was reflected by the spell Eda had cast on Luz earlier. Luz was gone and they knew it. She had lost the war for her life.

Eda’s own eyes birthed tears as she sunk to the floor, defeated. Lilith joined her and drew her into a crushing hug.

“No… Luz…” King, his yellow eyes usually filled with mischief, held nothing but sadness. He went over to Eda and Lilith, who quickly wrapped him in their hug of grief.

The Owl House, normally a place of spells and the shenanigans of the Owl Lady and her apprentice, was now home to little more than sorrow as Luz died surrounded by friends and family.

At least, for the moment.


	2. Chapter 2

Amity had lost her first crush. The cruelty of it all was sickeningly unfair.

She still held her lifeless head close to her, wailing in sorrow as she did so. Luz was gone, and it was her fault.

She had warned her, but she did not stop her when she had the chance. Damn her enthusiasm. Damn her goofy antics. Damn her cute smile. All she had to do was to stop her, and she would still be here.

Here with her.

But she failed, and it now seemed that Luz was gone forever. How would Amity move on from such a devastating loss?

She would not have to ask herself such a horrible question for long.

King frowned, confusion replacing the sadness in his face. He broke off from Eda and Lilith, who were reeling from the recent loss, and found himself searching the room.

His eyes narrowed in focus. What was that _scent_?

Having been a demon all his life and encountering many of his kind before and a collection of other kinds of monsters, he knew the scent of many different types of demons and monsters.

The scent was faint at first, but it was growing stronger with each passing second. The blood of his friend had hidden it before, but as he continued to focus on it, he was becoming more and more of what monster was on the approach.

“Eda…” He had not smelled this type of monster in some time. They were both powerful and dangerous, and whenever he would encounter this type of monster, he was always sure to show caution (and not fear, of course). He would’ve felt better with Eda and Lilith being here, but he couldn’t pinpoint where the scent was coming from yet, and worse, his roommate and her sister were not as powerful as they once were.

They could be under attack, from the Emperor again or someone else. And with this type of being, there was always a chance that they could be a _bigger_ threat than the Emperor.

He turned his head to the Owl Lady. Eda was a mess of tears and emotion as she sobbed quietly, her sister still having her wrapped in a hug and comforting her, rubbing her hand along her back.

King truly felt her pain, but he had to get her attention. He stepped up to the two sisters, waving his tiny hands. “Eda, something’s going on! I-I think someone’s here!”

“What?” Eda steadied her voice and gently pushed Lilith away. She turned to King, wiping her eyes so that she could see him more clearly. “Someone’s here King? Who’s here?”

King sniffed the air again, growing anxious as the scent grew stronger. “I don’t know. But it is not one of the monsters we normally see around here. This scent is _ancient,_ Eda; this monster has not been around here in a long time. We could be under attack!”

“Damn it all!” The floor caved in where Eda’s fist collided with it. “ _Now?_ I lose the kid and that bastard Belos sends someone to attack us?!” Eda picked up her staff, her hands shaking with anger. She wiped her face and tightened it with rage. “Fine. In fact, that is perfect. I need to hit something!”

“Hooty! You are on high alert! You see anyone or anything we don’t know, and you send them home limping!”

“Hoot Hoot! Roger that, Eda!”

Lilith rose her to feet. While she wasn’t as close to Luz as her sister had been, in the few weeks she’d spent around her since their escape from the Emperor, she could see why her friends and Eda were willing to sacrifice so much for her. Her enthusiasm, curiosity and that _smile_ , such positivity was rare here in the Boiling Isles. That kid was something else, and her determination to become a great witch despite her human origin was inspiring.

She felt awful the child had to go at such a young age, and right in front of Eda no less. But they had to focus on the incoming threat, and how they were going to face it.

“Eda, we have to do something!” Lilith summoned her own staff. It took more effort now that her power was low, and she knew Eda was not in much better shape than she was. “As we are now, we won’t be able to do very much in a fight. I’m capable of a few offensive spells, but beyond that I’ll be useless!”

“Doesn’t matter. You run out of power and you beat them to death with that staff. I don’t care.” The whole in her heart tore when Eda took a glance at the dead and bloodied Luz, still being held by the crying Amity Blight. “That kid deserved everything in life. She… she’s gone now so I’ll properly bury her and make sure I take care of her in death. Can’t do that if these bastards try to take us.”

King continued to sniff while Eda and Lilith discussed how they were going to confront the approaching threat. King still could not believe the scent that was still growing in strength.

A vampire.

He knew their kind. Hell, Luz had nerdily gushed about vampires a few times in the past, asking Eda if they could go meet one at some point. While they were not much different from other monsters, aside from their intolerance to sunlight and certain foods, they had a quirk about them that could make them especially powerful and more dangerous if they were an enemy.

A vampire’s magical power and abilities were enhanced as they consumed the blood of magical beings. Magic was everywhere in the Boiling Isles, and everywhere included the very blood of its residents. When a vampire feasted upon the blood of a monster or demon, they could expect at least some bolstering of their magical capabilities, in most cases.

Of course, there were limitations. Not all beings in the Boiling Isles were equal in power, and not all of them could spare the same amount of blood and survive. A little blood from an extremely powerful being could go a long way, but a lot of blood from the weakest of creatures could be essentially useless.

A vampire could get a drop from someone from the Emperor’s coven and be capable of overpowering high-class witches. Or they could drain a typical denizen of Bonesborough to the last drop and gain an unremarkable boost in power.

While blood from any creature will sate their hunger, blood from some creatures will _not_ transfer any power whatsoever to the vampire, no matter how weak or powerful their donor is. It happens by chance, and as far as King knew, it was not uncommon for vampires to be defeated simply because they _thought_ they would gain the upper hand by drinking their opponent’s blood.

King clenched his tiny fists. If this vampire had gotten lucky, and found himself a few useful donors, they could have a real problem on their hands.

“King! What are we dealing with here?”

“Vampire. I am sure of it now. The scent is almost strong enough for me to pinpoint where it’s coming from. You ready to fight, Eda?”

Eda felt a smile creep on her face, despite her emotions being in a state of turmoil. “You’re damn right I am.”

“Get ready because it’s almost here!”

“I’ll never let them get close!”

King sniffed and turned.

He turned in Luz’s direction and followed his nose. He stepped toward his friend’s body and walked right past her, believing that the scent would have led him outside where he could maybe spot their enemy.

But he felt it weaken slightly.

That meant that the source was _right here_. Right on top of them.

“Eda, it’s here!”

“Where King!?”

“It’s….” he sniffed once. He stepped closer to Luz. He sniffed again, and he was brought closer to his dead friend.

“No way.” His eyes expanded as his jaw flew open. “Eda, th-the vampire is…”

“AHHH!”

Luz sprang to life, apparently wrestling her own way out of Death’s grip. Unfortunately, her sudden upward movement meant she collied into Amity, who held her head in pain.

Silence filled the Owl House. Luz took in her surroundings, looking around the living room and her friend and family. They all stared back at her, their brains glacially processing the miracle that had happened before them.

But Amity recovered the quickest.

“LUZ!”

Luz had the air squeezed out of her lungs as the Blight wrapped her in a chest-crushing hug, the river of tears now renewed and flowing out of her eyes. But where the others held despair and sorrow, these held pure joy.

“You’re alive! You’re alive! You’re alive!” Amity repeated rapidly, with not a care in the world. There was not a greater feeling to her in that moment than to be saying those words to her favorite person.

Luz was as lost as a fish in a desert for a moment. But her mind began to replay the events that had unfolded for her in the last hour. It was too much.

Her own eyes began to flood. She hugged Amity right back, happily crying with her. “Yes, I’m alive.” She said.

“Luz!” King jumped right on Luz’s back, burying his head into her back, overwhelmed by the idea that she was really with him again.

Eda and Lilith joined in the group hug, also crying like they were newborns. The despair and tragedy were gone. Replacing the hole in their heart was nothing but relief and happiness.

Somehow, their Luz had come back to them.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

They spent another hour clinging to the human. Amity cried so much she knew she would be sick come morning, but she hardly cared.

Eda and Lilith managed to calm down enough after a while to collapse on the couch, exhausted from having to cast all those spells and then having to spend that time under such immense stress. King had not left his spot-on Luz’s back, and he was not going anywhere for a while if he had anything to do with it.

Eventually, everyone managed to calm down and appreciate the fact that Luz was back. Of course, there were questions that had to be asked.

Eda had Luz sit on the couch, forcing King to climb of her back, much to his chagrin. Amity on the other hand, stuck to Luz like she was glued to her.

“Kid, you really had us in a bad way only a little while ago. So, you need to tell me exactly what happened.”

Luz inhaled, her heart jumping for a second. It occurred to her that she would now have to remember the events leading up to her death. She was _dead_ an hour ago, and now here she was being hugged by Amity and questioned by Eda about said death, while in her bunny shoes no less. That was… hard to wrap her mind around.

She sighed and told Eda everything that happened. The glyph she found in the cave a few mornings ago, her failed attempts at starting it sooner, her successful attempt a few hours ago and the subsequent ethereal fireworks that followed. Then the attack of the ghost bat. Then her death.

“I… was dead.” Luz felt her eyes fill with tears as she forced herself to face the reality. “I… shouldn’t have come back but here I am.”

She looked to Eda. She was happy and relieved to be alive despite everything, but she was so _very_ confused. “Why am I alive, Eda?”

The Owl Lady frowned and look away in thought. “That spell you used… I think it is the reason that you’re here with us. That had to have been some sort of transformation spell, and that must’ve been part of the transformation process.”

Luz could not believe what she was hearing. “You mean I’ve been transformed? What have I been transformed into?”

King jumped onto the couch and looked at Luz. “I smelled a scent coming from you I haven’t smelled in a long time. There is no doubt about it, Luz. You’ve become a _vampire.”_

The words echoed in the teenager’s head. “A... vampire?”

“Seems like its kid, according to the little guy here.”

“Hey!”

“I mean, haven’t you noticed some changes? Your ticker’s still not ticking, Luz. Your body lacks the warmth that it used to before you died. And…”

Eda got off the couch and left the stunned Luz for a moment. She returned with a small mirror and handed it to Luz. The teenager tried to look in it for her reflection, but all she saw was the red of the couch.

If she had any doubts before, the inability to even see herself in the mirror shattered them. Luz had died and become a vampire.

Luz started to panic. “E-Eda! I don’t like this! I want to change back! How can I change back!?”

“Calm down kid. First, this is completely new to me. I’m think there are still other vampires are out there, but I’ve _never_ heard of anyone being transformed into one.”

“What?! I thought vampires could transform you with a bite!”

“That is a human myth, kid. Stop watching bad movies!” Eda sighed, rubbing her temples. “New vampires come in the same way as the rest of us do. You see when a man loves a woman- “

“Eda!”

“Alright kid.” Eda could not help but chuckle and snort. “Secondly, I do not know any spells to change you back to a human.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

“I mean that you may have to treat this like my curse, Luz.” She gripped the frightened teens shoulders, narrowing her eyes at her as she got serious. “Luz, make no mistake. I’m gonna do all that I can to help you. We are going to _try_ to see if we can change you back into a human. But listen to me Luz: you may be _stuck_ like this and there may not _be_ a way to make you human again.”

“ _Dios mio.”_ Luz slumped into the couch. Her mind filled with thoughts about that potential reality.

How would she have to live her life now?

Would her life even end? Was she immortal now?

How would she go to school? How would she hang out with her friends?

What would her mother think of her little girl becoming a creature of the night?

Luz felt tears snake their way into her eyes again. Eda was there, however, and drew her into a soft hug that comforted the young woman.

“I know you’re scared, kiddo. When I first started to deal with my curse, I was too. But don’t despair. With a little time, preparation and practice, I think this will be manageable.”

“How, Eda?”

“Well, you’ll still be able to go to school and all. We’ll just have to get you some sunscreen and maybe get you another hoodie or two. Cat ears isn’t going to cut it forever, kiddo.”

“But I like my cat ears.”

“And maybe we can locate another vampire like you. That way you will have someone in your shoes who can give you pointers on how to adjust to your new… situation.”

That got Luz thinking.

“Eda. King said that he hadn’t smelled a vampire’s scent in a long time. What happened to the others?”

Eda pondered on that one for a minute. “Truth is, kid, I don’t know much about that either. Way back in the past I think there were a few around here and there in the city, but they have basically disappeared. Strange. I’ll have to look into that.”

Lilith came into the room with some tea from the kitchen. “I’ll help you Eda. I have also noticed the distinct lack of vampires around. In fact, I think it has been a while since anyone in the Isles have seen them.”

“Alright. We’ll definitely need to look into that.” Eda turned her attention back to her pupil. “Well, like I said Luz, we can deal with this. So, don’t worry about it too much. Before long, you’ll be giving us that big smile we’ve all come to love.”

Eda let Luz go and arose to her feet, stretching. “Alright. I am tired. A thousand spells and a thousand more tears really drain all the energy out of you.”

Eda turned to Luz one more time. “After you say goodbye to your friend, I need to talk to you in your room, before you go to bed.”

Luz could not help but feel a little nervous. But she forgot when Amity got up to her feet as well, and she rose with her.

“Hey Amity.”

“Hey Luz.”

“I… uh, should have listened to you. It is all my fault that this happened, and I put you in danger. I’m so sorry that I did that, and I truly mean it when I say I won’t let this happen again.”

Amity sighed and motioned for Luz to follow her outside. Amity held out her hands, and Luz grabbed them, lacing their fingers together.

“Luz, I-“

“Ooooh, what are you two talking about?” Hooty teased nearby.

Amity shot a venomous glare at the house demon. Hooty got flashbacks to the last time he pissed off the witchling, and wisely kept his beak shut.

Luz returned her attention to Amity, nervousness creeping into her once again. She waited for Amity to speak.

“Luz. You are… easily one of the best things that has happened to me in my entire life. Easily.”

Luz could not help but smile. She and Amity really had become good friends. From enemies to besties, in fact.

“Tonight, I almost lost you. In fact, I _did._ When I saw your hand go limp, and the life was drained from your body, I felt like most of me died with you.”

Amity leaned close to Luz. Intimately close. Luz felt herself blush and was suddenly grateful that it was so dark out. Amity was grateful as well because she was in full-tomato mode.

“Luz… I want you to know I really care about you and that I… I want to- “

Amity froze. Her scroll was signaling her. _You’ve got to be shitting me,_ she thought.

“Hold that thought.” She pulled out her scroll and checked it. Luz watched her reaction go from irritation to wide-eyed surprise.

“Um, my parents are wondering where I’m at. I didn’t realize how late it’s gotten.” Amity put away her scroll. She wanted to continue with this confession, but the moment had passed. The idea that Luz was dead and that she would never confess to her crush had emboldened her to try it right here and now, but now she was thinking that maybe she should wait a little longer. There would be other times, better ones.

“I’ll have to get home as soon as I can. My parents are probably going to chew me out for staying out so late, even if it’s the weekend.”

Luz could not help but be a little disappointed. “Oh. Okay. Are you sure you’re okay to walk home by yourself?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. That attack from earlier looked a lot worse than it was. I’ve been hurt worse playing Grudgby so don’t worry about me too much.” Amity sighed and let her hands fall to her sides. She looked Luz in the eyes. “Luz. _Please please please,_ don’t ever scare me like that again.” She could not contain herself and hugged the human-turned-vampire once more. “I don’t want to miss my chance.”

“Chance?” Luz frowned. “What chance?”

“I’ll tell you about it someday.”

She pouted in Amity’s arms. “Please tell me, Amity you know I hate it when you tease me like this.”

“Which is exactly why I’m doing it.” She let her go with a smile. “Goodnight, Luz. I’ll see you at school, okay?”

Luz waved to her friend before she turned and got on her way back home. “Yeah. See you at school.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Luz.”

“Yes Eda?”

Eda’s usual smirk was replaced by a stern stare at her apprentice. Her arms were crossed in a motherly ‘I’m-disappointed’ way, and despite wearing her pajamas and slippers, Luz was no less intimidated by her teacher. “What you did tonight was completely unacceptable, Luz. What were you thinking?”

Luz opened her mouth, but no words came out. She had nothing to say, because Eda was right.

“We almost lost you Luz. In fact, you were _gone_. We were facing the reality that you were dead and out of our lives forever Luz. That is a horrible, terrible thought I hope I will never have to have in my head for as long as I live.”

“Eda, I-“

“Stop.”

Luz closed her mouth and waited for Eda to continue.

“Luz. I love you.” Eda got down to Luz’s height, put her hands onto her shoulders, and drew her into a tight hug. “I love you and I don’t want to lose you again. You’re too young, too bright, and you have too much potential to leave this world without being able to show it off. Don’t you _ever_ pull a stunt like that again. From here on out, any spells you want to learn you run them by me or Lilith. You gambled tonight Luz, bet your life, and you almost lost.”

Luz nodded. “Yes Eda, I’m sorry. This will never happen again.”

“Be sure that it doesn’t, kiddo. I hate to get all motherly on you, but I only do it because I care about you. And I hope you like running the stand because stand duty will be your punishment for a few days.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Eda stood up. She was truly tired, and she could almost hear her nest calling to her. “Alright kid. Have a good night, and do not worry about your new condition. I already know where I can get you the stuff you need so you can continue carrying on as if you were still human.”

 _Oh right._ Luz thought with a start. _I’m a vampire now._

“I understand, Eda. Good night and _gracias.”_

 _“De nada,_ Luz.”

Eda shut the door. Luz laid in her sleeping bag. She had too much on her mind to feel very tired. She really screwed up big time. Scared her friend, her family, and nearly lost it all. She has got to do better than that. Not just for herself, but for the people who cared about her as well.

The door opened, and she was greeted with the sight of King, carrying his doll with him. “Hey Luz. You don’t mind if I-“

“Not at all, King. Come here.”

King snuggled right up to Luz, instead of his usual place at the foot of her sleeping bag. Luz felt horrible for what had happened that night, but with King right there next to her, he reminded her that she was okay and so were they.

Eventually, she managed to slip into sleep, grateful to be alive. More or less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally sat down for four hours and put this together. 
> 
> Hopefully this will fit into the continuity well, without any problems or complications. If I missed something, feel free to let me know. Though I think I got it right for the most part. I'm stupid tired, so I'm gonna end the notes here. Expect the next chapter within the next week though.
> 
> With all the people who've subscribed and bookmarked and commented, though, I'm riding on such a high I might have another chapter even sooner than that.
> 
> Thanks so much for the support you guys! I hope I can continue to impress you guys.  
> As always, please tell me if there's anywhere I can improve, and I'll see you guys soon (likely, very soon) !


	3. Chapter 3

Water drips in the cool dark cave. The footsteps of two witches echo in the darkness. Eda and Lilith walked in silence, using the light spells Luz had taught them to guide their way.

“How deep inside did Luz say she found this glyph?” Lilith’s voice echoed behind Eda, with a slight hint of irritation.

“I don’t know. Guess we’ll just find it when we find it, Lily.” Eda’s narrowed eyes searched all around for any markings inside the cave. Searching through a dark cave that held no treasure or weird stuff for her to collect was not anything she could call fun, but this was for her apprentice, so she pressed on.

The two continued in silence, venturing deeper inside the cave. They stepped past stalagmites and stepped through small puddles of water as they went. The cave was fairly narrow, and so far, there weren’t any places where it split. ‘Good,’ Eda thought, ‘because she would have hated for Luz to have gotten trapped in here.’

‘Luz. How can you be so smart but so stupid at the same time? The poor girl had once again meddled with forces she didn’t understand, and she had paid the price for it once again.’ Eda sighed.

When will Luz learn? This was one hell of a close call, and if she kept it up there wouldn’t be a second chance next time. Hopefully after they found their way out of this new maze Luz had gotten them trapped in, she would finally grow up a little.

One could only hope.

Eda’s eyes flashed over something interesting. She paused, her last footstep echoing through the cave. Lilith halted as well and looked to her sister.

The cave had widened before them now. The narrow cave they had walked through for the past fifteen minutes now gave way to a large open area. What was interesting was that this area was devoid of large rocks, stalagmites, and other features they had passed on the way inside. The ground was nice and smooth, like it were sculpted perfectly.

A little bigger and it’d be large enough for a nice game of Grudgby. But what really caught Eda’s attention was the marking on the floor. She stepped lightly, cautiously approaching the circle, making sure she didn’t make a wrong step. That last thing she wanted was to activate the spell circle if it was what she thought it was or set off a nasty trap.

She approached the circle and inspected it. She produced a drawing of the circle Luz had used the night she transformed, though this circle was purposefully incomplete to prevent any accidents.

Bingo. They matched perfectly. This was the circle they were looking for.

“It would appear they meant to keep these rituals secret.” Lilith came to the same conclusion Eda had, eyeing the circle as well.

“Yeah and I think I understand why Luz couldn’t get the spell to work at first.”

“The spell was likely crafted in such a way as to only activate when in total darkness. That explains why she could not activate it during the day, as she was likely trying it outside.”

“Exactly. And had we been able to see it, we could’ve stopped her from activating it. Well, no point crying over spilled milk.”

Lilith knelt and inspected the circle more closely. “Perhaps the library contains a book with this symbol.” Lilith shook her head. “I have my doubts about there being a reversal spell, but maybe we’ll find something that can help that child.”

Eda turned to Lilith, eyebrow raised. “What do you mean? If there’s a way to change her into one, there’s gotta be a way to change her back.”

“Edalyn you saw what happened to the child-“

“ _Luz.”_

“You saw what happened to _Luz._ She died right in front of us, and then returned to us as a vampire. This-“ she gestured to the circle, to this section of the cave that was clearly crafted for it, “- was a ritualistic transformation. I don’t think it was ever designed with the idea of someone eventually _returning_ to their previous form.”

Eda narrowed her eyes at her sister. Damn Lilith and her superior education. She made a fair point.

“Well we’ve gotta try anyway Lily.” Eda’s eyes scanned the cave one last time. “Let’s look for any more clues and then get outta here. I wanna take a nap before _you_ head to the library.”

“Wha- me? Edalyn, _think._ We’re wanted criminals!”

“So? What exactly has changed for me after our confrontation with the Emperor Lily?”

Lilith scoffed, her eyes thinned into slits at her sister. Eda smirked. She loved to annoy her big sister.

“Now that you’re gonna be living a life on the lam, it’s time you get experience. First lesson: running away from the guards!”

“Edalyn, you can’t be serious.”

Oh but she was.

* * *

Luz was in a battle with her own eyelids as she leaned lazily on the table before her. She was struggling to keep them open as she manned Eda’s stall. The afternoon sun beaded down on her, making her slightly warm as she kept her cat hoodie wrapped around her head.

Eda did as she promised and had fetched her items that would help her deal with her new life as a member of the undead. Sitting nearby Luz was what she could only describe as the most powerful lotion she’d ever used.

According to King, who actually knew more about vampires than Eda did (a fact he happily rubbed in her face), the average vampire could expect intense burns and pain while being in the sun without some form of protection, and eventually death would come from their injuries should they remain in the sun for too long.

With Eda’s lotion however, Luz had nothing to worry about as far as excruciating death was concerned.

And thankfully, she didn’t have to feast on anyone either. Vampires feed on blood, and as far as sustenance went, it didn’t matter where that blood came from. Luz tried apple blood this morning and found she could drink it just fine.

Which was great, because according to King, anything that isn’t some kind of blood taste _vile_ to a vampire. She was happy she could eat without turning someone into her meal.

Luz yawned loudly. Rather than bring pain, the sun’s rays brought her fatigue and made her drowsy thanks to the lotion. It sapped her energy but did little more. Not ideal, but certainly better than ending up as the undead torch.

As long as Luz applied her lotion periodically throughout the day, she should be fine, according to Eda. The hoodie helped to lessen how much of the sun she came into contact with as well, but according to Eda and King it was hardly a substitute.

That meant she was going to be using the life-saving lotion everyday, or she’d be cooped up in the House with only Hooty and occasionally Lilith to keep her company.

No thanks.

Luz sighed and stood up, hoping it would help keep her awake. Unfortunately, it was a slow day, which did little to help with her boredom. Few customers had stopped by, even fewer purchased items. The day was dragging by and the teenager was hoping for some sort of relief to the boredom.

A man approached the stall, catching her attention. Luz’s draw dropped.

He was easily one of the most beautiful people she had ever seen. The man radiated elegance and pure attraction as he walked up the stall, dressed in a rather formal gold suit with matching pants and shoes. His face was flawless, though his mustache looked a little old-timey to the teenager. Black hair flowed down from a golden crown that sat upon his head, hiding his ears. Luz couldn’t help but blush a little when he came up to her, eyeing the items in the stall.

At the same time, she got some sort of vibe from him. He… seemed familiar, yet Luz was sure she’d never met this man before. She’d remember someone like him.

“Good afternoon, little lady. Do you mind if I inspect some of these items?”

Luz tugged her hoodie over her head more, her blush deepening. His voice was elegant and smooth. “Sure go ahead.”

“Thank you.” He smiled at her kindly and inspected a stick of deodorant that, for some reason, had a bite mark in it.

“Ma’am, would the Owl Lady be present by any chance?” He set the deodorant stick down and returned his gaze to her.

“Not today, sir. She’s busy and I’ll be filling in for her for the next few days. But I could let her know you were looking for her, Mr…?”

“Prince Roman. Just call me Prince Roman, little lady. Might I know your name as well?”

“Luz. Luz Noceda.” She smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, Prince Roman. Are you really a Prince?”

Prince Roman chuckled. “I am. Why, are you surprised to see a Prince here in the Boiling Isles?”

“Just a little. I’m used to seeing a grumpy demon or two. But almost nobody here dresses as sharply as you do. I’m afraid you’ll cut me if I get too close.”

 _What_? What did Luz just say? That joke was corny, even by her standards.

To her surprise, Prince Roman just laughed instead of looking at her weird. “Ha! Be sure to keep your distance then, young one. Might you be the human I’ve heard tell of?”

 _Human._ He would’ve been right only a few days ago. However, he didn’t need to know about her situation.

“Yep. I’m the Owl Lady’s apprentice! Pretty cool right?” She smiled again.

“I must agree. Well, little lady, I’ll be looking forward to seeing your progress as a witch.” Prince Roman offered her a smile that threatened to turn Luz into Amity whenever she got really flustered. Weird that it always happened around her, though.

“Also, be sure to let the Owl Lady know that I wish to speak with her as soon as possible.”

“Will do. Take care, Prince Roman!”

“Same to you, Luz Noceda!” And with that, the Prince was on his way, disappearing into the market crowd.

Luz felt like she’d finally was beginning to combat her drowsiness. Such a nice and friendly person! Hopefully he’d come back and make a purchase. He was certainly a nice change of pace from other customers asking her if humans tasted good, or if they could get items for cheaper than their advertised prices.

Wait a second. He had _fangs_. She could’ve sworn she had some long, pointy teeth when he was talking and giving her those smiles that made her blush. Most other demons had sharp teeth, sure, but not fangs so similar to…

“Hey! How much for these weirdly colored balloons?”

Great. More stupid questions.

* * *

Amity tapped her pen on her notebook, agitated. She sat with her head propped up on her arm, inside of her hideout inside the library. She sighed in boredom as she finished going over her abomination class notes, attempting to study for an upcoming test.

At least that is what she came here to do. But her mind wondered elsewhere.

She remembered the frightening morning that she had had.

A horrible nightmare had startled her awake. She remembered it for the tenth time, and her heart started to pick up speed. It had not lost its effect despite having been on her mind all day.

She was holding the dying Luz’s hand in her hers, trying to comfort her as Eda and Lilith cast spell after spell to heal her and repair the damage that the bat attack had done to her. Luz had managed to look her in the eye, filled with tears, in an almost apologetic way.

Almost like she was sorry for putting her through this.

That was the last thing Amity saw Luz do, her last seconds of life as a human. Then, her hand went limp as the beautiful brown hue in her eyes lost their color. And she was gone, just like that.

Amity had screamed her name and cradled her dead friend. Her wails echoed through the Owl House as her worst fear just came true. Her favorite geeky human was no longer with her.

In the real world, though, Luz came back as a vampire. She was shaken and clearly uncomfortable with being undead, but she was _here,_ and Amity could see her, talk to her, hear her voice.

But in her nightmare, the brown in Luz’s eyes, the _life_ in them, would never return.

Amity continued to cry. Blights were supposed to be elegant and composed. But in this nightmare, Amity had lost Luz the Human and she was not coming back. She couldn’t care less about elegance. She wanted her human back.

Then, Amity shot up in her bed, tears jumping from her eyes. She sucked in deep breaths to calm her anxiety and got a hold of herself. She told herself Luz was alright, that she was still here and she wasn’t going anywhere. Not back to the human realm, where she could forget about Amity forever and not to the afterlife.

Amity pushed away all the emotion the nightmare released and cleaned herself up, got up and then started her day. Blights were better than crying, she was always told growing up.

Amity sighed again, dropping the pencil and brought her hands to her face. Damn it. She really had fallen hard for this strange but adorable human. She’d never had nightmares like that before, but Luz shows up and everything changes.

She _had_ to confess. She almost lost her chance. How does she know she won’t lose it again, and permanently the next time?

The thought of losing Luz again and being unable to confess nearly brought her tears once again. Just like that night…

Sooner or later, she had to come clean. In fact, nothing was stopping her from sending Luz a message and telling her to meet her at the Library, bring her into her hideout and…

Well, how does she know that Luz even likes her? How can she be sure?

Amity sat up and stretched in her chair. She decided she would have to find out somehow…

* * *

“Hey Luz!” Eda called from the couch as Luz closed the door behind her, tired and ready to relax. “How was stand duty?”

“Ugh, terrible! Not many people made a purchase and most people just asked stupid questions!”

“The joys of working retail kid.” Eda paused in thought. “Wait does that count as retail?”

Luz threw her bag onto the floor and joined Eda on the couch. “Well, there was one super cute guy who came to the stall today. Said he wanted to speak with you?”

“Who? Probably asking me to date him or something?”

“Prince Roman was his name.” Luz answered.

Eda took a sip of her apple blood. “Ah. He is kinda cute. Said he wanted to speak to me huh? Guess he didn’t want to admit he had the hots for me to my apprentice.”

“You know it, Eda!” Luz did her famous finger-guns, making Eda crack a smile.

“Hey kid. Have you ever sat down and thought about how that Blight girl feels about you?”

The grasshoppers outside suddenly became much easier to hear. Luz paused and thought for one second.

“We’re really good friends that’s all! She didn’t like me at first, but we managed to sort things out.”

“Okay but have you _really_ thought about how she feels about you?”

“What is there to think about? We’re friends, there’s no doubt about that.”

That wasn’t where Eda had her doubts. That Blight girl was her friend but Eda was no dummy. That night Luz died she cried like someone who wanted to be so much more, only to tragically realize it was out of her reach.

Unfortunately, her apprentice was a dummy. A loveable dummy, but a dummy. And she was going to have to figure it out herself. “Alright kid, sure. I think you should talk to her though, see how she’s doing. She took your death pretty hard, and she was clearly a little shaken when she left.”

Eda left to get some food from the kitchen, pondering new ways to annoy Lilith as she went. Luz sat there in thought for a moment. Maybe she should check on Amity? She’ll be sure to ask her how she was doing at Hexside in the morning.

* * *

“So, you’re actually not human anymore, Luz?” Gus asked as he examined Luz through narrowed eyes. Willow gave him a look and he backed up from the human.

Luz shrugged, grabbing her items out of her living locker. “Yeah. The spell turned me into a vampire, and I’m stuck like this until we can find a spell to change me back.”

“How are you doing mentally?” Willow asked, always concerned for Luz’s well-being.

“I’m fine. It’s spilled milk, you know? I was scared at first, but there’s nothing to do now but deal with it until we find a solution.”

“Wait, what does being a vampire have to do with spilled milk?”

“Gus!”

“It’s fine guys, really. I’ll be sure to get in touch with you guys if I ever start to struggle, okay?”

Willow smiled, but it was pulled down with a hint of worry. Luz bounced back quickly when bad things happened, but this was different.

“Well, we’ll be there whenever you need us. You know we’ve got your back, right Gus?”

“Absolutely. And I bet Amity’s got it too!”

Luz whipped around, and sure enough Amity was right behind her, blushing slightly as her eyes met Luz’s.

Luz lit up. “Hey Amity!”

“Luz, hey!” Amity was now tomato-facing again. “How are you feeling!? Do you need any help with your books? Someone to walk you to class?”

“Oh I’m doing just fine Amity! I have my lotion and hoodie for when I need to head back outside so I should be okay on that front. But I can carry my books, don’t worry!”

Luz then remembered Eda’s words last night. She should be checking on _Amity_ as well. “What about _you_ , Amity?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. How are you doing after my incident? Eda told me you took it pretty hard when I was out.”

‘You have no idea.’ “L-Luz I… was scared. But n-now I’m fine! Honest!”

Luz’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. She was clearly bothered by something. “Are you really? Because you’ve been blushing pretty hard since you got here.”

“Luz, trust me I’m fine!”

“Amity.” The green-haired witched jumped when Luz’s arms wrapped around her. “If there’s something you need to talk to me about, _please_ tell me. I’m your friend-“ Amity’s eye twitched “- and I’m supposed to be here for you.”

Luz turned to Gus and Willow, who suppressed a knowing grin. Always the perceptive one, she knew nothing made Amity more flustered than Luz did. “That goes for you guys as well.” Luz said before turning back to Amity. “So, what is it? Spill it, Blight.”

‘When did Luz start actually paying attention to me when I’m panicking?!’ Amity felt her legs get real jelly-ish. ‘Since when is she so perceptive, why does she smell _so good?’_

Her mind raced for an excuse to end this contact before she exploded!

‘Come on! Think, think, think!’

“L-luz! We never held that Azura book club! Let’s do it _today_ after school!”

‘STUPID BRAIN.’

“Ohmygosh, YES Amity! I totally forgot about the book club! I’ll be there!” Luz squeezed. Amity nearly puked. Thankfully, relief came as Luz let her go, just in time because Amity’s vision was going black.

“G-great. I’ll see you then!”

Gus lit up. “A book club? Oooh, can I come!?”

Willow put an iron grip on Gus’s shoulder, startling the young witch. He turned to her, to find her smiling down at him sweetly.

But he knew she wasn’t really smiling. “Gus, you _forgot_ you had plans! In fact, so do I. Guess it’ll be just you and Luz, Amity!”

“But I-“

“Yes! Just _you and Luz_ , Amity.” Gus decided it was better to attend the next club meeting, and skip this one.

Before anyone else could be threatened, the bell screamed at them.

They all flinched, saying their goodbyes and headed to class.

* * *

_Sniff, sniff._

As students filled into the class, one teacher noticed a familiar scent.

‘What? Impossible. They’ve been gone for _decades.’_

Yet, he knew this scent. The scent of a _vampire._ It had been some time, but it was unmistakable.

He stopped writing his lesson on the board for a moment and eyed his students. Luz entered and sat into her desk, though he paid her no mind.

‘It’s definitely here.’ He mused to himself. ‘Question is, which one is it?’

He narrowed his eyes at all the students in his class, thinking of the possibilities of who it could be.

‘No matter. I’ll figure it out soon enough.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost 1000 hits! Awesome! Thanks guys, I'm glad people seem to like this story of mine.
> 
> So, I think going forward we're gonna spend a little time with Amity while I begin to focus some more on the plot. I will also look into having Luz start to really adjust to her new "circumstances."
> 
> If you have any ideas, thoughts or opinions, once again I am all ears! Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on out, thoughts will be italicized because I really hated how they looked before. At some point I'll be fixing them in the previous chapters.
> 
> Anyways more VIB

Amity sat in her hideout, waiting for Luz’s arrival. She would’ve been lying if she’d said out loud that she wasn’t nervous.

She had cleaned her hideout to the point that everything shined like gold in the sun. Library books, notebooks and schoolbooks that had been scattered on the floor were picked up and put away. She had straightened up her desk, swept the rug of any debris, and sorted out anything she could.

She wanted the first Azura book club to be perfect! It had to be because she definitely wanted Luz to come back.

She sat in her chair, fidgeting. How was her hair? Her breath? Did she smell bad?

Her mind raced like a racehorse. She did not want to do anything that might make Luz uncomfortable. What if she did not want to have the book club again if this went bad somehow? What if she chased her off? What if-

Amity’s soul jumped out her body as the door to her hideaway slipped open. She quickly collected herself, straightened her hair and cleared her thought as she rose to her feet.

Luz walked in, still in her school uniform with her bag slug over her shoulder. “Hey Amity…” Luz said with a slightly muffled voice. Her hand was apparently covering her mouth.

“Luz, hey! Um, what happened? Are you okay?”

“Uh, I dunno. Starting walking this way and my teeth started to hurt. Feels like someone punched me in the jaw.”

Amity approached her. “Oh. Did you do anything to hurt yourself?”

“Nope. I mean I tripped on the way here, but that’s totally normal for me. Aside from that, nothing happened. My jaw just hurts a lot.”

“Okay well just take a seat.” Amity guided her friend over to her chair and sat her down. The bookshelf door closed behind them. It was now just the two of them, Amity realized.

“Aw, Amity you don’t have to worry about me! It’s probably nothing.”

“Let me take a look.”

“Huh?”

“Open your mouth and let me see.”

“Oh Amity-“

“Let me see, Luz.” Amity had a feeling this had something to do with the vampire spell. That, and she wanted to be sure Luz was okay.

Luz eyes grew wide in surprise. So did Amity’s when she realized how stern she had sounded.

“Please.” She added, wondering if she’d upset her friend.

Luz nodded and opened her jaw, relieving the young witch. Amity got close, just enough so that she could view Luz’s front teeth. Now it was Luz’s turn to blush slightly.

“Hm.” Amity nodded; her suspicions were confirmed as she squinted at two especially pointy teeth in Luz’s mouth. “Your fangs are growing in, Luz.”

“Woah. Really!?”

“Yeah. They’re tiny but they’re coming in.” Amity gave Luz some space, grabbing a spare chair and sitting next to her.

“Wow. So I’m about to be a full-fledged vampire, teeth and all.”

“Yep.”

Luz’s lips curled to a smirk. “You never told me you were studying dentistry, Amity Blight.”

And just like that the young Blight’s face was set alight. She forced her head forward to avoid Luz’s gaze.

“Y-yeah well I was only checking because I was concerned.” Amity sighed. “Is there anything else that’s been bothering you lately? You’re doing fine with the whole vampire-thing right?”

Luz put a finger to her chin. “All things considered I was expecting things to be _way way way_ harder. Eda’s given me lotion that lets me be outside during the day with hardly any issues. I mean, I’m a little drowsy when I’ve been out in the sun a while but that’s the worst of it.”

Amity was glad to hear Luz was doing well. Luz was always good at moving forward. “Great. How about feeding? Do you… you know? Crave blood?”

“Sort of. It’s not much different than normal hunger but apple blood seems to work just fine so far. Being a vampire is not that bad so far. Though, I’m a little ashamed to admit I’m kinda disappointed.”

“Really?” Amity chucked. “Why are you disappointed?”

“Oh come on, Amity! I should be able to like, take over people’s minds or make stuff levitate. Or, I don’t know, at least turn into a cute bat or something!” Luz threw her arms out in frustration as she spoke, then deflated onto her desk. Amity rolled her eyes with a grin.

“I don’t feel like I have super strength or speed. No enhanced hearing or vision. I’m the same boring old Luz!”

“You _just_ became a creature of the night, you dummy. You’re not gonna become Dracula in only a few days. Besides, this change is temporary. You wouldn’t want to become a vampire, gain all these cool powers only to lose them after a short while.”

“Aw I don’t care about that. I’m a vampire and I want to fly! I want to pull pranks with my mind control and make a clean getaway from the trouble as a bat! I’m stuck like this for now, right? I wanna make the most of it!”

“Fair point.” An idea jumped into Amity’s head. Luz wants vampire powers, huh? How does she know she doesn’t have them already?

“Hey, let’s go outside.” Amity grabbed both of Luz’s hands and brought them to their feet.

“Outside? What about the book club? I haven’t even started gushing about Azura learning she’s the descendent of a long line of witches.”

“You want to find out if you have any powers, right?”

Luz’s brown eyes lit up like they do when she’s consumed by excitement. “Absolutely.”

“Then let’s go.”

**\--------------------**

Amity and Luz had walked to a clearing in the forest, a short walk away from the library. The sky bled shades of orange and red as the sun began it’s descent below the horizon. The cool wind blew through the trees making them shake as Amity and Luz stopped and turned to face each other. With the way the area was situated and thanks to the setting sun, they were provided some shade, so Luz pulled her hoodie off her head and gave Amity an excited smile.

“Alright Luz. I don’t very know much about vampires, but with a little testing I think we can figure out what you’re capable of.”

“YES! I’m so ready and excited.” Luz jumped up and down as if she’d been bitten by a rabbit. “Let’s get started already!”

“Alright alright. You said that vampires are supposed to have enhanced senses, right? Have you actually tested to see if you’ve gotten any faster or stronger?”

“Hmm. Not really now that I think about it.”

“Then,” Amity drew a spell circle, summoning water out of thin air and making them levitate in a row in front of her. Luz stumbled back a little in surprise. Amity’s face grew to a competitive smirk. “Avoid my water attacks, _without_ using your glyphs for one minute. Think you can handle that, _Noceda?”_

“Oh?” Luz returned Amity’s smirk, getting into a stance and determined to meet her friend’s challenge. “I’m afraid I’ll be too much for _you_ to handle, _Blight.”_

“We’ll see about that!” Amity sent her balls of water toward the waiting vampire. Luz sidestepped the first one with ease and dodged the other two as well. Amity created more water spells and fired them at Luz, starting a run in a half-circle movement to trip up the vampire.

Luz got to running as well, weaving through body after body of water with the same level of ease as the first.

“Alright, try this!” Amity sent two water spells out that moved in a circular motion toward Luz. One approached her from behind, the other from the front. Luz was off-balance from dodging the previous attacks. The spells surged toward her rapidly, threatening to drench her.

Luz yelled and jumped out of the way, landing on the dirt. The spells collided, sending water everywhere. Luckily, Luz had landed just outside of the splash zone, keeping her dry though she was a little dirty thanks to her landing.

“HA! You missed, Mittens!”

“Not for long!”

Luz screamed in surprise. Another water spell raced towards her, turning oval-shaped slightly as it neared her. Automatically, she slammed her hands into the dirt and pushed, intending for the action to get her to her feet.

But after she pushed, she flew right off the ground. She screamed again in shock as she sailed a foot off the ground, spinning before landing and rolling in the ground, far from where the water spell exploded. She came to a stop nearby a tree, stunned and breathing rapidly.

“Luz!” Amity dropped her water spells and they dissipated as she ran towards her friend.

“Wait!” Amity pumped the brakes as Luz got to her feet rather quickly. She was completely unharmed. “I’m fine, I just…” she froze and gained a ‘holy crap’ look on her face. “Amity! I think I just used super strength!”

It was true. Luz sent herself at least twenty feet away from where she was in the dirt, avoiding the Blight’s water attack by a wide berth, using only her hands. There was no way she could’ve did that a week ago. Amity couldn’t help but be sucked into Luz’s excitement. “You did! You have super strength, Luz!”

The girls celebrated with screams of happiness. They echoed through the forest, no doubt annoying the various creatures that called it home.

“Not so boring now, huh Luz?”

“Ha! Looks like I’m the interesting one now!”

“You wish, loser.”

“Hey! I avoided your water attacks for a whole minute! If anyone is the loser here, it’s you!” Luz stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry.

Amity laughed. Amity laughed good and hard, and Luz did the same. Amity couldn’t help it; things felt _normal_ again. Things felt good and she didn’t want this to end.

“So, looks like we can bring out your powers when we practice. What do you say we make this a regular thing?” Amity asked Luz with a smile.

“I’d love to Amity.” Amity felt her heart do a somersault.

‘ _Damn you, Luz. Why are you so cute?_ ’ She thought. Amity wanted to ask her right then and there. Ask her so she could finally kiss her like she had wanted to for weeks. But she couldn’t muster up the courage.

She sighed contentedly, despite her unfulfilled desire. This wasn’t where she wanted to be, but it was nice, nonetheless. “Sounds great.”

The two girls grabbed their things and prepared to leave. A thought crossed Luz’s mind.

“You know, this reminds me about that one scene where Azura fought that water demon! Remember?”

“Oh yeah! Towards the end of the first book, right?”

“Yep. Unlike me, she totally got drenched though.”

“Ah, but she didn’t get dirty, did she?”

“I hate you, Amity Blight.” Luz said teasingly. Amity just smiled big and wide.

**\---------------------------**

Edalyn Clawthorne lazily watched a movie on the crystal. It was late evening, but she was still in her pajamas, bunny shoes out in all their glory on her table. King napped next to her, snoring quietly. It had been a relatively peaceful day, but she knew better. It wouldn’t be that way for long.

The front door slammed open, startling King from his slumber. “Aw crap, who’s making all that noise?”

Eda turned her attention to her door. Lilith entered, a positively pissed-off look on her face. She had her staff in her hand, and Eda guessed she had to use it recently. She formed a teasing smirk as she called to her sister.

“Hey Lily. How was the library?”

“Terrible. The illusion spell I had cast slipped and got chased by some guards.”

Eda laughed out loud. “Good thing they’re all so incompetent. Seems like they did manage to pressure you a little bit, though.”

“Oh, be quiet, Edalyn.” Lilith made her staff disappear and plopped on the couch next to her sister. She promptly deflated, exhausted.

“What is this?” She nodded towards the crystal ball.

“I don’t know, some cheesy romance movie. I slept through half of it so I don’t really know what’s going on. You find anything at the library?”

“Just like yesterday, _no._ I scoured the library for hours looking for that damned spell and though I found a few books on vampires, none of them contained that spell or any others that could’ve been useful. I am becoming suspicious, however.”

Now that caught Eda’s attention. “Suspicious?”

“I also did some asking around vampires. It seems that they all started to disappear at around the same time. Very peculiar. I checked in the library for any information on that, but I had no luck there either.”

“Hmm.” Eda felt disappointed. It seemed what she told Luz was coming true. She may be stuck in her vampire form for the foreseeable future. “That’s unfortunate, Lily. Guess we’re still stuck at the starting line.”

Lilith nodded. “Yes, but Edalyn, there’s _something_ that occurred and it involves the disappearance of the vampires.”

“Yeah I think so too. I guess I’ll speak to the Bat Queen at some point and see what she thinks. At her age she’s sure to know something that’ll help. I’ll be sure to ask her if she knows anything about the vampires’ disappearance, too. I _do not_ like the sound of that, and it could mean bad news for Luz.” Eda sighed, then shook Lilith’s shoulder, earning her a glare from her elder sister. “That means _you_ are no longer on library duty, Lily. I thank you for your service!”

“Ugh.”

“What’s wrong Lily? Mad you got chased? Had those guards in ya face?”

The elder Clawthorne hissed. “Don’t you start with your rhyming Edalyn!”

“Don’t be mad, get glad Lily. You’ll make your little sister _sad!”_

With a roar, Lilith lunged for her sister, but Eda jumped and swiftly got to her feet. She ran into the kitchen, laughing all the way as Lilith chased her.

King watched the whole scene unfold with unimpressed, half-lidded eyes. He put his head back down on the couch, intending to return to sleep. “Witches, man.”

**\-----------------------------**

It was dark when Luz got home. She slipped into the door with her smile larger than usual, thanks to her awesome day discovering her power with Amity.

Eda sat on the couch, still in her pajamas. A sleeping Lilith rested on her shoulder, which Luz would’ve thought was cute but…

She didn’t know Lilith was such a horrible snorer. She was loud like an oncoming train and sounded twice as unpleasant.

King covered his ears, clearly holding back his rage. Luz guessed he had wanted to nap on the couch like he usually did, but it seemed Lilith had other plans. “Hey Luz.” He said, irritation evident in his voice.

“ _Hola_ Luz, how was school?”

“ _Bien_ Eda. Great as always.”

“That’s great kid. What took you? If you had taken any longer to get home, we would’ve been worried.”

“I should’ve told you, I went to the library and hung out with Amity today. Sorry, Eda I’ll be sure to let you know next time.”

“Oh, you saw the Blight kid again. How was she doing? What were you guys up to?”

“We originally came there for the Azura book club. But instead, we ended up practicing and Amity helped me discover some of my new powers!”

Eda raised her eyebrows. “New powers?”

“Yep. Looks like you and Lilith are not the only ones with super-strength, Eda!” Luz flexed her muscles to emphasize her point. “That, and my fangs have grown in.”

“Oh please, Luz! Both you and the Clawthorne Sisters pale before the mighty KING!” King took a stance and flexed both his tiny arms.

Luz cooed. “Aww, I’m sure you’re the toughest little guy on the playground, King.” She pinched his cheek, and he pushed her finger away.

He pointed at her. “One day you will tremble before me, Luz!”

“Yeah, right King.” Eda scratched his back, and King shut up. “That’s good to hear kid but I wouldn’t get too attached. We’re… hitting roadblocks but we’re not giving up on finding a way to change you back.”

“I know, I know Eda. But there is nothing wrong with reaping some of the benefits of my new form in the meantime.” Luz’s eyes lit up for the millionth time that day. “What if I can turn into a bat? How _cool_ would that be!?”

Eda was smiling but she switched to a frown. “Look Luz, something suspicious is going on with this whole vampire thing. While I’m confident in your ability to defend yourself, I’m not taking any chances in case you run into something you can’t handle.” Eda reached into her silver mane, pulling out a pocket-sized, wooden owl.

She handed it to Luz, who inspected it closely. It reminded her of tiny, cute Owlbert. Eda continued, “Think of this as like an emergency contact… thingy. Tap the glyph I’ve carved into the owl, and I’ll know that you’re in trouble and I’ll come running. Do _not_ lose this, it was a pain in the ass to make it. Understand?”

“Of course, Eda.” Luz put the item in her bag so it’ll always be with her whenever she’s out.

The Owl Lady nodded, then pointed to the stairs. “Alright Luz. Vampire or no, you smell like _dirt_. Grab a shower already. Dinner’s in the kitchen when you’re done.”

Luz started her way up the stairs. “Thanks Eda!”

“You’re welcome, stinky.”

“Hey!”

Eda shook her head at her apprentice as she walked up the stairs. _Little goofball_ , she thought.

She heard hazy mumble on her shoulder. “She’s such a well-behaved kid.”

Eda turned to the source of the voice. Lilith, still resting on her shoulder, had a sleepy smile on her face.

Eda matched her smile. “She sure is.”

**\----------------**

Two people conversed through a communication spell, late at night.

“You’re certain?” One voice said, stern and serious.

“Yes! Another vampire, walking the halls of Hexside.” The other voice, enthusiastic and squeaky.

“Have you identified the vampire, yet?”

The other voice sniffed nervously. “I have… not. Through my enhanced sense of smell, I have deduced that the creature is one of my students in one of my morning classes, but I have not identified which one yet.”

“Then why the hell have you contacted us? You waste our time.” Another nervous sniff came. The creature who made the sound winced as he was being yelled at.

“Sir, please, I just want to inform the Emperor and his Coven. I know how he feels about those vampires! That, and I wanted to inquire about the possibility of a _reward_ for the capture of this night walker!”

“ _Reward?_ Serving your emperor should be reward enough. Besides, I have no reason to believe that you have found another vampire. They’re all dead or missing, as they should be.”

“Then, I shall find out who the vampire is, capture it and bring it to the Emperor! Then, may we discuss a reward of some sort?”

A sigh came through the other end of the spell. “Bring the vampire first. _Alive._ And be sure that it _is_ a vampire. We must find out if it is alone or not. Am I clear?”

 _Sniff._ “Crystal.”

**\------------------------------------**

Luz had to admit. She thought Mr. Crowns was a little bit weird, even for her.

He was one of those teachers that was just odd. He spoke in this high-pitched, squeaky voice that at times was as pleasant as hearing chalk screech on a chalkboard. He tended to sniff a lot, though he never seemed to actually be sick.

She remembered first entering his class:

“Good morning class!” _Sniff._ “Today we will be learning about Wyverns. Pay attention, because should you try to tame one, you may find they will try to test you by making you their snack!” _Sniff._

He seemed to be a dog-like creature, but he was _not_ one of the cute breeds. Resembling the appearance of a pug with dark-brown fur and grey eyes, he was certainly not the most attractive teacher that she had had.

He also had some strange tendencies, mostly related to his sniffing. He would pace around the class like teachers do, checking on students’ work and making sure there was no goofing off, but he had this tendency to get a little too close. He would sniff desks, papers, tests, and occasionally a student.

“You must’ve been around a griffon today. The scent of webs is very strong on you!” He said on one occasion.

The student he’d sniffed, a cyclops girl, nodded slowly, her eye wide as she stared at him in shock. “Thanks?”

Crowns was, however, very knowledgeable in his subject, always breaking down their lessons and assignments. Whenever they would leave class to head to the stables to where they kept some of the school’s beasts, he always gave detailed lessons about each beast they had.

Luz walked into his class one morning, putting her bag on the desk. It hung off the edge however, and her lotion slipped out and clinked onto the floor.

Luz went to grab it but a furry paw snatched it up first. Luz looked up to find Mr. Crowns in all his strange glory, inspecting her bottle. He brought it to his nose, sniffing it loudly, making her cringe a little.

“Such a strange lotion, Ms. Noceda.”

“Oh,” Luz smiled nervously, scratching her neck as she thought up a lie. “You know, I just have such sensitive skin, and I’m prone to sunburns. My guardian just wanted me to be safe than sorry.”

“Interesting. Wouldn’t any usual lotion brand do the trick?”

“You could say she’s overprotective.” Luz searched his face for any trace of acceptance of her lie. He was unreadable, however.

“Hmm. I suppose so. Here you are.” He handed her back the lotion and walked back to his desk, having apparently bought Luz’s lie. Luz let her shoulders drop in relief and shoved the lotion back into her bag.

 _That was close._ She thought. _Eda wants me to keep this vampire thing under wraps. It is best to listen to her because I don’t know how others may react._

Luz grabbed out her notebook and pen, ready to hear the lecture and take notes. As the class went on, she failed to notice how Crowns paid attention to her throughout the lesson, or how his eyes had narrowed in deep suspicion at her as she had gotten her items out of her bag.

**\-------------------------------**

“Amity!” Luz ran toward the Blight’s locker, finding her friend putting her items inside, ready to leave school for the day.

“Hey, Luz! You ready for more practice?”

“Sure.” Luz went and pulled her cowl over her head. “Let me just make sure I’m properly covered.”

She adjusted her cowl a little, making sure that it covered all her of her face. She grabbed gloves out of her bag to cover her hands from the sun. Normally she would be find leaving her hands out but with the distance between the forest where they practiced and the school, she didn’t want to have her energy drained before practice.

“Okay, ready! Before you know it, I’ll be more powerful than you Amity!” Luz teased, sticking her tongue out.

“In your dreams, loser.”

“I think you mean Luz-er?”

The witch pushed Luz, who pretended to stumble with a goofy smile. “You’re so lame.”

The two giggled and laughed as they proceeded towards their new training grounds, getting into a friendly argument about Azura as they did so. They didn’t notice Mr. Crowns tailing them from a safe distance.

When they arrived, the two dropped their items and began to stretch and prep for their practice. Luz spoke first, between stretches.

“So, I was thinking of really testing my reflexes today.”

“Oh so does that mean I get to throw snow spells at you?” Amity flashed her competitive smirk at Luz.

“It _means_ you’re going to try and fail. I’m the fastest witch that you know!”

“Is that a challenge?”

Luz couldn’t help but take a shot at her. “It will be for _you._ I’ll count it as barely being a warmup!”

“Oh you’re so on!” Amity shot back as she got into a stance, ready to unleash her magic.

As the sun dipped in the sky, creating shadows that allowed Luz space to dodge and counter Amity’s spells, they failed once again to notice Mr. Crowns who hid himself behind a tree nearby.

“The scent stayed with the two of them. It must be the _human._ Or, the _former_ human. I’m almost sure but I must be certain. What I’m about to do, if it comes out that either one of them isn’t the vampire, I’ll most certainly be petrified!”

The creature backed away into the growing darkness of the forest, leaving the two witches to train in peace.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're really starting to get somewhere with the plot of this story. As always, thanks for reading and leave your thoughts in the comments. I seriously love to hear from you guys.
> 
> Also, the Ghost AU still exists. And now you're sad again.
> 
> Have fun!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've got a problem with vomit, this is your warning.

The next few weeks were blissful for Amity. She reminisced as she got ready for school one morning.

As often as they could, she had her practice sessions with Luz. They always went to the same spot, right after school. They trained both their skills in magic, and helped Luz adjust to her new vampire powers.

However, it quickly grew into more than that.

Whenever they walked, they talked. Whenever they took a break, they talked. Amity finally had a chance to really sit down with Luz, with no one else around, and _really_ get to know her.

Luz was always such an adorably weird goofball, ever since she was a kid. When Luz was ten, she used to chase squirrels around and try to capture them, believing they were apart of some conspiracy to take over the world!

Or, how when Luz was twelve she brought a stray dog to school to help her locate a troll she _swore_ she saw crawl into the vents at school.

“What are you laughing at Amity?!” She had asked as Amity held her gut, laughing with every part of her body. “You watch, those squirrels will collapse countries if we don’t stop them!”

Amity shared what it was like having to deal with troublemakers for siblings. Luz was in tears when she’d told her of the time young dragons had imprinted on Edric one night years ago, and the three of them had to get them back to their mother before she woke up and burned them all to a crisp.

They laughed and laughed and shared more and more. Stories, thoughts, opinions, ramblings about what they loved and hated (thought Luz was much better at that than she ever was).

Despite being an outsider, despite once being a human, Luz and Amity had so much more in common than Amity could have ever thought. They were so radically different, yet they were the same.

Amity shared more about her parents. How they made her prioritize power and prestige over her own happiness. How Blights were supposed to be at the top, how they don’t associate with lesser beings.

Amity had to face those expectations and meet them. And she felt alone, despite all the people around her that praised her, thought she would be one of the most powerful witches to ever live.

Luz got somber for a moment, which was rare for her. “I know what it’s like to feel alone, Amity.” Amity’s felt her heart slump when Luz pulled her legs to her face.

“Whenever I had a moment to stop, when all my energy finally ran out, sometimes I would remember that I was _alone_ for most of my childhood. I had no friends to ask to come over to my sleepovers, and no one to invite me to them either.” Luz felt tears creep into her eyes, and Amity saw the sadness in her friend’s face.

Amity held out her hand, ready to comfort the witch. “Luz…”

Luz took it, and let Amity pull her into a warm hug. Anyone else and Amity would have let them be, but Luz was different. She would do anything to bring that smile back.

Luz continued, calmed by Amity’s embrace. “Thing is, after a while I realized that I was probably going to be alone for a long time. So, there was no point in being all that sad about it, right? I just kind of accepted it and continued being me. After all, that’s what people always say right? You should _always be_ yourself.”

Amity squeezed Luz. “You’re not alone anymore. Our friends, Eda, Lilith they all care for you. You matter to us, Luz.”

“I know. And that’s why being here has made me the happiest I’ve ever been.”

Amity enjoyed the moment, enjoyed the contact with Luz. There were other moments where they were serious and really opened up to each other.

Amity would not call it love just yet. It was probably too early, but she was positive that what she’d felt for this strange girl who’d jumped out of a pot of abomination goo was _far_ stronger than any simple crush.

And, to both her excitement and anxiety, she was beginning to suspect that Luz felt the same way. Amity still blushed intensely when she was around Luz after all this time, but there were times when Luz blushed as well.

There were moments where they touched where it lingered long, so _torturously_ long that it couldn’t have been platonic. The times where their faces met whenever they practiced hand-to-hand combat, how they looked at each other in the eyes.

Amity felt drawn to her face, to her lips, like they were magnets. She would bet everything she owned that Luz felt a pull towards her face whenever they were close like that. At least, until they broke away or tripped and fell, and the moment passed as they laughed and got back to practice.

It wasn’t all perfect though. There were a few days that Luz seemed out of it. As it turns out, Luz did end up homesick at times.

She knew Luz’s strange rectangle device was not working properly. She couldn’t talk to her mother anymore, and that fact saddened Luz. Some days it seemed to get to her, and Amity knew that Luz would one day like to see her mother again.

Selfishly, she had to admit she was terrified of that day. Not of Luz going to see her mother, because of course she wanted Luz to be happy and see her mother again.

She feared Luz going to the human world, and _never_ coming back.

When Luz died Amity realized a new fear, one that proved to be a worthy rival of her fear of rejection:

Losing Luz again.

It’s why she’s so protective of her, now more than ever. It’s why she wanted to spend more time with Luz, even if they weren’t dating like she desperately wished they would be. Amity’s fear was that of losing Luz again, just like the night she became a vampire and Amity thought she was gone forever.

Her feelings were only getting stronger. One day, Luz may go home and who knows if she’s coming back. If she was going to confess her feelings, then the time was _now._

She could wait no longer.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Luz made her way back to her Beast-Keeping class, clutching her bag as she did so. She was puzzled as to why Mr. Crowns had called her to his class after-school, but she was hoping whatever it was it would be over with quick.

She wanted to get right to Amity so they could resume practice. Her heart was pounding, because Amity told her there was something important she needed to tell her. Luz hated to wait, so she rushed to get to the classroom so she could get on her way to her friend.

She entered his class. Mr. Crowns was seated in his desk, and he turned his attention to her, his dog eyes meeting hers. “Ms. Noceda. I’m glad you’ve made it here so quickly.”

“Hello Mr. Crowns. What did you want to discuss with me? I bet it’s because I’m _killing_ it in your class, right?”

In a first, Crowns chuckled. It unsettled Luz. The door shut behind her and she glanced at it. “Peculiar choice of words, Ms. Noceda. I simply have something I wish to test you on. Do not worry, because this will not take long. Also, leave your bag by the door.”

He gestured his paw over to her desk. On top of it sat food from the school cafeteria. Fish from the Boiling Sea, with mushrooms and bread that was oddly colored pink. It was nothing special to Luz; in fact, she’d actually enjoyed this meal whenever they had served it before.

But that was when she was still human.

A nervous smile slipped onto Luz’s face. She felt her hand slide on her bag, hoping to locate wherever the emergency owl had fallen to. “What is this? I thought this was beast-keeping class, not cooking class!”

“I simply have a theory I’ve been hoping to test out.”

“W-what’s that theory?”

“You’re certainly experienced in _playing_ the fool, Luz. But I know what you are, _vampire_!” The teacher drew a spell circle fast.

Luz frantically shoved her hand into her bag, yanking out a few glyphs. The bag was then torn right off her shoulder and away from her. The vampire froze when she heard demonic growling.

She turned. Slobbering and growling at her with red eyes, rotting black fur with exposed bones and flesh, was a hellhound. It held her bags in it’s jaws, then open it’s mouth and swung the bag behind it as two other beasts that looked like it appeared. They were covering the door, the only exit.

She was trapped. Just like that.

“The food, Ms. Noceda?” Mr. Crowns looked at her expectantly, before flashing her a cocky smile. “Don’t keep me waiting, now. And I know all about your little _glyphs_. Use even one of them and I feed the hounds one of your arms.” He pointed at her with a glare. “ _Drop them_.”

Face contorted in a glare at her foe, Luz had no choice but to comply. She unclenched her fists, letting the paper fall to the ground, harmless and useless. She silently walked over to her desk, sat down, and stared at the meal before her, crossing her arms in suppressed anger.

“What do you want?”

Crowns scoffed like she’d said something utterly idiotic. “What do you think, moronic beast! Eat! Try some of the damned food. It’s for my _theory!”_

If Luz could glare laser beams there would have been a hole in Mr. Crowns stupid, repulsive face. “I’m not hungry.” She slid the plate away and smirked.

“Oh, _please_.” He snapped his fingers. Luz jumped as one of the hellhounds bounded over to her and got right into her face. She nearly gagged as she caught a whiff of it’s breath. It snapped at her threateningly, just mere inches away from her face. Crowns continued, “ _Please_ keep resisting. The hellhounds love it when their meals get _feisty!”_

Luz returned her attention to the food. King said that anything that was not blood of some kind was absolutely disgusting to vampires. She hadn’t questioned him. But now it seemed she was going to find out just how right he was.

Luz grabbed the fork that sat near the plate. She stabbed the fish and tore a piece of it off, and brought it up to her face.

She hesitated. She could smell the food before her, and it was still warm. It had smelled delicious when she had tried it last, but now she could feel the scent was repelling her now. Her vampire form was rejecting the food already, and she hadn’t even introduced it to her body yet.

“Anytime now.”

Luz whispered. “Bastard.” She took a bite of the fish and gagged.

The moment the taste hit her mouth her whole body rejected it. She gagged repeatedly as she chewed, fighting the vomit that tried to volcano its way out of her stomach. She powered through, managing to swallow the vile food before putting her fork down.

She returned her glare to Mr. Crowns. “Happy?”

“Not quite. Just waiting.” His lips curved into a small smile. Luz heaved.

She heaved again, harder. Her hand slammed onto the table, trying to steady herself. Crowns smile grew.

She retched once more. The volcano was beginning to erupt. Saliva gathered in Luz’s mouth as she fought the urge to vomit. But it was a battle she was losing.

She heaved once again, and the volcano erupted. Luz vomited onto the floor. The hellhound stopped growling at her, put some distance between it and her, and then resumed it’s snarling. Mr. Crowns’ grin grew into a full-fledged smile, equally as strange as it was disturbing.

He snapped his fingers and the dogs retreated near the door. He started on his way to Luz. “Fascinating. The lotion, the avoidance of sunlight, the secrecy, and now the rejection of normal foods by your body.”

He got right in Luz’s face as she breathed heavily, trying to recover. “You’re a vampire, Ms. Noceda. The one I’ve been looking for. And, don’t get any ideas by trying to use that ‘super-strength’ you seemed so fond of. I had that lunch _specially made_ just for you. You might as well be a weak, useless human now.”

Luz wanted to call his bluff but she could feel it. She was getting weaker by the second as her new vampiric strength left her. She felt tired and weak, but she had plenty of energy left for spite.

Luz spat in his face and he groaned in disgust. He walked away, growling and wiping the spit from his eye.

“Intolerable _bitch.”_ He snarled. “I hope the Emperor takes his time _disposing_ of you.”

_The Emperor?! Oh no. This is getting bad really fast._ She thought. Her eyes searched for her glyphs. She found them a few feet away, sitting scattered under a desk. Not ideal but she could work with it.

“What does the Emperor want with me?”

“Hmm. Well, nothing right now, I believe. After your incident with him it seems he’s mostly let you slide. Once he learns about your new status, however, I’m sure his desire to capture you will be renewed.” Paws wrapped around Luz’s throat, choking her. The sick smile of Mr. Crowns deepened as he looked at her struggle in his grasp.

“But, that’s where _I come in._ I’ll bring you to the Emperor to save him the trouble of capturing you. Even better, I won’t have to share the reward with my former co-workers.”

Luz’s eyes grew in shock. _Coworkers?_

“Now, to make this easier, I’m going to need you to sleep for a while. Shame I don’t have access to magic that’ll knock you out quickly, but a good slug to the face will suffice.” He pulled his paw back, ready to knock Luz’s lights out.

Until she gave him a smile through her struggle.

“What in the hel-“

Luz snapped her own fingers. The glyphs that were under the desk glowed and activated. A shard of ice shot out and stabbed right into her teacher’s leg. “ARGH!”

He dropped her and she was ready. She snapped her finger again and willed the other ice glyph to activate. A shard of ice flew out, penetrating two of the three hellhounds who yelped and howled in pain, before ceasing all movement.

“Shit.” Luz said. There wasn’t enough magic it seemed to reach the third one. It sniffed the fresh bodies of its former companions before barking at Luz. It proceeded to charge. Luz scrambled to have some sort of response before it attacked, but she had only managed to activate those two glyphs when she had dropped them earlier. She’d waited for the right moment to use them, but now she was out of options.

With no options left, she shielded her body with her arms.

The hound jumped, intending to rip Luz’s arms off. But it never got the chance.

The dog yelped in pain and howled in agony as a spiky plant shot through it’s abdomen. The sound made Luz jump, and she opened her eyes and searched the room.

When she saw who casted the spell that saved her, she nearly screamed in joy.

She spun her finger, ready to cast another spell. She smiled at her crush. “Need a little help, Luz?” Amity called.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. Ending it on an exciting cliffhanger.
> 
> Don't worry, I'll likely update within the day or so. I only meant to get started on five but I ended up typing the first half so I said screw it I'll post it and finish the other half later on.
> 
> Thx and please leave a comment. I always want to hear your thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

“Amity!” Luz moved to run to her friend but stumbled. She was still too weak, her body felt like it’d added a thousand pounds. “A little help, please?”

Amity summoned another plant. A vine wrapped itself around Luz’s waist, lifted her up, and plopped her down gently, next to Amity. Mr. Crowns clutched his bleeding leg as he growled at them.

Amity put her hand on Luz’s shoulder, looking her over for any injuries. “Luz? Are you okay?” She managed to suppress some of the worry in her voice when she spoke.

“He’s… weakened me, I think. I feel like I’ve had to run a marathon, but I think I’ll be okay.” Amity helped Luz to her feet, making Luz put most of her weight on her.

She turned her attention and rage toward Crowns, eyes narrowed into yellow slits. “You piece of shit! You tried to hurt Luz!”

Crowns chuckled. “What I did was light punishment compared to what’s coming for her!”

“Nothing is coming for her! You’ll be petrified for hurting her!”

Crowns scoffed. “ _Please._ I’ll be rewarded handsomely when I get her to the Emperor!”

“Luz what is he talking about?”

“I think the Emperor has a problem with vampires. He wants to bring me to him and collect a reward.”

Amity bared her teeth and prepared another spell. “Like I’ll just let that happen!”

“Oh, Miss Blight.” More hellhounds appeared from thin air, surrounding the two young witches. “You can’t hope to stop me!”

Amity nearly managed a fire spell, but she screamed in pain. Fresh blood flowed down her leg from a scratch wound one of the hellhounds inflicted on her. She fell to her knees, preparing another attack, only to hiss as another slash left her back bloodied and exposed.

“Amity!” Luz tried to shield her friend as Amity groaned in pain.

“Shame. I expected better from the one of the mighty Blights!” Mr. Crowns managed to get onto his feet, limping as he walked in front of his prize. “No matter. You should have minded your business, child. Now I’ll have to take the both of you, the vampire and her little assistant! Belos will be happy to exterminate the both of you!”

Amity managed to glare back at Crowns as he stared her down with a mocking smile. Luz had to improvise or both she and Amity were doomed.

A scent wandered it’s way into her nose. Luz felt drawn to it, unconsciously licking her lips as she followed it.

She looked to it’s source. The crimson river that flowed on Amity’s back and on her leg.

_Blood._ Luz’s heart rate started to climb as she stared.

An idea formed in her head. It might’ve been their only chance. “Amity. I have an idea but you’re gonna have to trust me, okay?”

Amity groaned but nodded. “I trust you, Luz.”

“Okay. And, sorry in advance….” Luz got behind Amity. Her eyes landed on her back, blood still flowing. King had explained to her that vampires might gain a boost in power when they got blood from witches, right? Though there was a chance that it wouldn't happen.

_Guess I’ll just have to gamble again._ Luz thought.

“No! No you don’t! Hounds, attack! Stop her!” Crowns shouted, realizing what she had planned to do. The hounds closed in on them, but Luz was ready.

She opened her mouth and licked Amity’s wound. Her eyes dilated as she felt energized.

The hellhounds lunged for her. But they moved in slow motion for Luz, making it easy to counter-attack. They were sent flying back into the school walls with a yelp. Luz rose to her feet, no longer weakened. In fact, she had never felt more powerful.

“Damn it!” Crowns cursed as moved to summon more beasts. “You won’t be getting away! You can’t beat me!”

Luz’s hand was suddenly locked around his paws. She had moved in a flash. “No more spells for you.” She squeezed her hands down on his paws.

The crackling sound of bones snapping filled the room, but they were drowned out by the screaming and cursing Crowns.

Luz let him go, and he fell to the floor in a heap, groaning and muttering curses. She glared down at the pathetic creature before her. “I don’t have to beat you.” She activated Eda’s emergency Owl.

Mere seconds later, the windows of the classroom burst, and in came a powerful gust of wind. An electrified, levitating Eda arrived with her staff, landing in front of Luz. She scanned the room and assessed the situation. “I take it-,” she pointed her staff to Crowns, “- he’s the reason you called?”

“He hurt Amity and tried to capture me, Eda.”

“That’s all I needed to know.” Eda summoned a spell that trapped the defeated teacher in a ball of pure magic. “ _Cabron.”_ She cursed at him.

Luz made her way over to Amity and helped her up. The door to the classroom shot open, and in came Principal Bump, as well as a dozen other students.

He spoke in shocked anger as he took in the situation. A destroyed classroom, a bloody Amity Blight, Luz Noceda with fangs and blood on her lips, an imprisoned teacher and one pissed off Edalyn Clawthorne.

“What in the name of the Titan is going on here!?”

\-------------------------------------------------------

Thanks to her wounds not being too bad, Amity was healed up rather quickly, much to Luz’s relief. They stayed in the classroom and explained the situation to Bump, who was shocked to hear of what the teacher had done to Luz and Amity. He wanted Crowns immediately taken to the proper authorities, but Edalyn refused.

“He hurt my kid and her friend.” Eda’s voice was twisted with rage. “He’s coming back with _me.”_

Bump decided that it was best not to argue with her. He had words to speak about the destruction of school property, however. “I understand, Eda. But look at this mess! You do realize you could’ve arrived through the _front doors,_ correct?”

“Eh." Eda snorted. "Whatever.” She tapped her staff onto the ground, turning her attention to Luz. “Kid, we’re gonna need to leave soon. If there is anything you need to say or get, now’s the time.”

_The time is_ now, Amity thought. _Once again, she’d nearly lost Luz. It’s now or never._

“Luz…” Amity ignored the growing urge to puke that her anxiety was creating. She grabbed Luz’s hand and looked into her eyes. She saw Luz blush as she spoke. “I need to speak with you, right now. Ms. Owl Lady-”

“-Just call me Eda kid.”

“Eda, could you take us somewhere private?”

“Sure thing. But-“ Eda smiled, knowing exactly what Amity planned to do. “-make it quick, kid. We need to leave soon.”

\-----------------------------------------

Eda brought them to the forest just outside the school, and kindly gave them some space. Still holding Luz’s hands, Amity struggled to look for the right words to say. She’d never confessed before and she found it harder than any test, any Grudgby game she’d ever played.

“So, L-luz…” she began, “I really care about you and today I almost lost you again and…”

She lost the words. Maybe she sounded stupid. Maybe she was talking to much. She tried again.

“You’re one of the best people I know. You’re funny, you’re smart, you’re loyal, you're brave, you’ve got the most adorable…”

She stopped once again. She was rambling again. Like she did when she got nervous, which was all the time whenever she was around Luz.

She looked at Luz again. She was smiling at her, brown eyes shining into her soul.

Screw this. She had to make this quick. She proceeded to wrap her hands around Luz’s neck. She forced her hands to stop shaking.

“Luz… C-can I… kiss you?”

“You want to kiss me?”

“Y-yes.” Amity had the biggest tomato face of her life. “Luz, I have the _biggest_ crush on you, and I want _nothing_ else but to kiss you right now.”

Luz gave her smile that turned her guts into mush. “Then what are you waiting for, Amity Blight?”

The two closed their eyes, blushing intensely as their lips closed the distance. Their lips met, and Amity felt like her entire life was complete.

She tasted blood, likely _hers,_ from when Luz had taken some in order to beat Crowns. She did not care, and neither did Luz.

They were both sweaty, probably smelled a little. Amity didn’t care, and neither did Luz.

They had their first kiss in a forest, with monsters roaring and shouting in the distance, while their school nearby was in pandemonium as the news broke of the destruction of the propery and a teacher attacking a pair of students. Their first kiss was not perfect, in fact it was a little awkward and came while the world around them was wrapped in insanity.

But they didn’t care. Luz and Amity would not have traded it for anything.

They had each other, finally.

Eda watched sitting in the branch of a tree nearby, Owlbert sitting on her shoulder.

“It’s about damn time.” She said with a smile.

Crowns levitated near her, growling and cursing. “Let me out, Owl Lady!”

“ _Shut up_.” Eda casted a spell. All noise the teacher made was silenced. He shouted and yelled but Eda barely heard him. “You’ll ruin the moment.”

Eda knew she and Luz had to get going, but she would have hated for Luz to leave without this moment.

Because if what she had suspected was true, everything was about to change.

Amity and Luz unlocked their lips, catching their breath. Amity had a smile that was so big and wide that it matched Luz’s at her best, and Luz loved it.

“I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am.” Amity said.

“I’ve left the great Amity Blight speechless?”

“Shut up.”

“Make me.” And they kissed again.

Leaves rustled nearby them, and they stopped. The two flinched, but thankfully those who emerged from the forest weren’t enemies.

Gus and Willow had arrived, to Luz’s joy.

They were accompanied by Edric and Emira, to Amity’s chagrin.

“Amity!” They shouted, running over to her sister, who unlocked her arms from Luz’s neck out of embarrassment. “Thank goodness, we were worried about you!”

Amity tried to put up her cold exterior, but it had chips in its armor since she was still trying to recover from kissing Luz. “I-I was doing fine, until you guys showed up that is.”

“Don’t be like that, Mittens. Are you okay?” Though it didn’t come often, Amity heard fear and worry in her brother’s voice. Emira looked at her with concern as well. They were truly worried for their sister, and that warmed her heart.

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Better than ever, actually.”

The twins looked to Amity, then to Luz, then back to Amity. Then, they looked at each other and their trademark smirks appeared.

“We bet you are, lover girl.”

“Gotta say, it took you long enough!”

They hugged their sister, ruffling her hair and proceeded to tease her.

And just like that, Amity wished she were an only child again.

Luz hugged and greeted her friends, who were as worried as the twins were for her safety.

“They said the whole classroom is wrecked!” Gus exclaimed, flailing his arms out. “When we heard about it, we feared that something might’ve happened to you.”

“What? You guys immediately thought I was the source of the trouble?”

“Well… yeah.” Willow admitted with an apologetic smile.

_Well… they weren’t exactly_ wrong, Luz thought. “Honestly, fair enough.”

Eda flew by on her staff, Crowns in tow. “Luz let’s get out of here already. We’ve been out here long enough. I wanna take the pug back and get right to our interrogation session I have planned.”

“Okay, Eda.” Luz walked over to Amity, who fought off her pestering siblings.

Amity tried to hide the sadness in her voice, but her eyes betrayed her. “When will I get to see you again?”

The question struck into Luz’s heart. She honestly didn’t know, and that scared her. She had Amity now, but even she got the sense that things were going to change. Word would get out that Luz was a vampire. The blood trailing down her lips, her fangs, and the fact that she was always hiding from the sun…

People would connect the dots quickly now. It wasn’t a hard puzzle to crack.

Which meant the Emperor would find out….

“I can’t lie to you Amity. I really don’t know. I promise that no matter what happens, you _will_ see me again.”

Amity felt herself start to tear up, despite all the people around. “Luz…”

The vampire hugged the green-haired witch, before planting a kiss on her forehead. “I promise you, Amity Blight, I will come back to you.”

Amity looked her in the eyes, through her tears. She nodded, “Okay.”

Luz fought her own tears as she walked to Eda and got onto the staff, pulling her cowl up to hide her from the sun. “Goodbye you guys.” They waved to her and she waved back, as Eda lifted into the air and blasted off towards the Owl House.

\----------------------------------------------------

The sound of a slowly beating heart echoed in the Emperor’s room. It was later that night, after the news had begun to spread across the city of the new vampire in town.

Emperor Belos had just finished another one of his _meals_ and was currently pondering over his plans for the Day of Unity.

The goals of the Titan were getting ever closer to being realized. There was nothing that could threaten his plans now.

Or, at least, there _wasn’t_ until mere hours ago.

Emperor Belos heard talk from his guards about what had happened at the School of Magic and Demonics. A _vampire_ had been confirmed to have been found there.

And to make matters worse, it was none other than the human he had toyed with some time ago. She must have stumbled across an transformation circle, meaning that his minions hadn’t successfully removed all of them from the Boiling Isles years ago.

Something had to be done. One vampire was _one too many._ With their ability to grow stronger as they consume more blood, if there is just one or worse even more, then everything the Emperor had worked so hard for could be jeopardized.

Something had to be done. His guards wouldn’t be up to the task. Hell, they couldn’t handle fighting the Owl Lady’s damned house demon. The Owl Lady, though no doubt weakened thanks to her curse, was still formidable and now she had Lilith by her side.

They would both surely be working together to protected that damned former-human.

He needed to call in some old… associates to capture the vampire and remove the annoyance, before it grew to be a real threat to him and his work.

“Oh, Luz. Luz. Luz. Luz. You have a nasty habit of getting yourself into trouble, don’t you? And a nasty habit of irritating me as well, it seems. Well, before long, you will only be a mere memory. I’ll have you _dealt_ with!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So they've finally become a couple. I hope you guys like the scene I put together.
> 
> I figured... with Amity's fear of losing Luz it would make sense for her to want to confess and get it out of the way as soon as possible. 
> 
> Here's where I think things are really going to get interesting. Be sure to stay tuned.
> 
> As always, leave your thoughts below and thx for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a few days. Got a little busy, got a little lazy. 
> 
> I will say, this is ABSOLUTELY the best chapter of any fanfiction I have ever written, no contest.
> 
> It has its imperfection but I am immensely proud of it.
> 
> Also, expect things to change for our characters from here on out.

An hour since the incident at the school had passed. Eda had landed outside the Owl House with Luz and told her to go inside. After Luz was inside, Eda turned her vengeful gaze towards Crowns, who managed to scowl back at her through his magical prison.

Eda pointed her staff towards him, and casted a new spell as she released the previous one. Crowns yelped as the ball dissipated, and he fell towards the ground. He then was gripped tightly by a magical hand that Eda had summoned, completely immobilizing him. The most he could do was to growl and shake his head as his bones seemed to crack from the immense pressure.

“Alright you bastard, I don’t have much patience. You’re gonna tell me everything you know. Otherwise, you’re going to get _real_ familiar with Hooty’s stomach!”

The House Demon in question flew his head over to Eda’s side. “Hoot hoot, I’ve been hungry allllllll day! I can’t wait to have dinner!” He licked his lips in anticipation.

Crowns cringed, before returning to his scowl. “You don’t intimidate me, Owl Lady. I know you’re not as powerful as you used to be.”

A sharp pain erupted across his cheek. The dog demon blinked as stars flew in his vision, before he shook his head to refocus. Eda was putting down her hand, which stung a little from the backhand she had just served her prisoner.

“I won’t need much magic to deal with you. You’re not worth the effort! All you have to do is tell me what I need to know, and when the time comes for you to disappear, I’ll consider making it less painful!”

Eda pointed her staff into his face. “Now you get to talking!”

Crowns smiled with bloody teeth. “ _Harder_ , bitch!” He spat on the ground.

Eda trembled with anger, her mind searching for spells that would make this bastard scream. Anyone who hurt Luz would answer to _her_ , and this prick was about learn that the hard way.

“Edalyn, please, allow me to assist you.” Lilith’s calm and cool voice rang behind Eda, as Lilith closed the door behind her.

Lilith had just finished examining Luz, who had proceeded to fill her in on what has happened.

Eda watched Lilith as she approached her. To anyone but Eda, the look on Lilith’s face could be described as calm and composed, almost approaching the point of elegance.

However, Eda knew when Lilith was pissed, and now was one of those times. Not only had this man hurt Luz, he hurt Lilith’s former protégé. Lilith had made mistakes with Amity in the past, and when the girl had heard of what transpired at the Emperor’s fortress, the young witch had rightfully disowned Lilith as her teacher.

Lilith understood how Amity felt, and felt that she had deserved to be fired from her position as Amity’s teacher. However, she still cared for her former student deeply.

And this fool had dared to put her hands on her. Eda watched her sister approach Crowns, lowering her staff and crossing her arms. Lilith kept her lid over her growing anger at the moment, but Eda knew she was nearing her limit even as she approached him.

“Hello Castor Crowns, former teacher at Hexside School of Magic and Demonics.” Lilith spoke calmly to the trapped creature, hands clasped together as she stood a few feet away from him.

“Lilith Clawthorne? So, you _are_ living with the Owl Lady.” He chuckled, stifling painful coughs as he did so. “How does it feel to be a fugitive and disgraced former member of the Emperor’s Coven?”

If Lilith was stung by those words, she didn’t show it. “Surprisingly pleasant. But, given your own history I wouldn’t be the one laughing.”

“And why’s that? The Emperor disbanded our squad and had me join that school to teach those little brats. Meanwhile, _you_ betrayed him and assisted that human outsider.”

Eda stepped to her sisters side, crunching her nose in confusion. “Hang on a second. You know this guy?”

“I knew _of_ him. While I was in the Emperor’s Coven, I decided I would do some research on the others who had been employed under him. I researched employees of the past and the present. Castor Crowns was a member of the Emperor’s execution squad. They were a group of witches who would capture and/or kill anyone the Emperor or his subordinates had deemed criminals. That is, before he decided he had no need for them anymore and disbanded them.”

Crowns felt the heat from Lilith’s breath as she got in his face, turquoise and gray eyes narrowed in suppressed fury. “Now, years after you became a teacher you decided to attack two students of yours unprovoked, claiming that you would be rewarded for capturing a living vampire. You will tell us more about why you did such a thing.”

“Eat me.”

Eda tensed a little, expecting Lilith’s fury to explode. But to her surprise, Lilith only chuckled. “Oh, you think me like my sister, hmm? The one who claims to have little patience?”

Summoning her own staff, Lilith summoned a potion she had prepared only moments prior. In her hand she held a bottle with purple liquid that glowed and bubbled as it swished inside.

Lilith uncorked it, never taking her eyes off of Castor, who’s defiant face had begun to soften in worry for what was to come.

Without another word, Lilith casted a spell. Invisible hands prodded at Castor’s lips suddenly as his eyes shot wide open in surprise. They invaded his mouth, making him gag as he tried to resist and clamp his jaw shut, but he wasn’t strong enough.

One hand pushed at the roof of his mouth, the other pressed at the floor of it, forcing his mouth wide open, exactly how Lilith wanted it.

An almost-sadistic grin spread across the normally composed witches face as she poured the strange contents of the bottle down the waiting Castor’s throat. He coughed and groaned, shaking as the liquid burned at his insides. It slid down his throat agonizingly, burning all the way down into his stomach.

Seconds passed, but they might has well have been eternities to the captive Castor as Lilith poured the entire potion into his mouth, though she made sure to stand to the side to avoid when he managed to hack some of the liquid out in weak resistance.

Eda stared at the scene, mouth agape. Her sister seemed to actually _enjoy_ hurting this freak, almost as much as she would’ve. Eda felt a mix of satisfaction and pride as she watched her sister finish with her victim.

If she was ever skeptical about them being related, she knew now that they were _definitely_ sisters.

When the bottle was finally, _mercifully_ empty of it’s contents, Lilith ended her spell that pried open Castor’s mouth and stepped back, admiring her work.

Castor sputtered and shouted and groaned. The potion sat like an inferno in his stomach, and he felt it. He continued to thrash and writhe in pain for a few more seconds before the potion’s fury began to momentarily dissipate, leaving him panting loudly as he recovered.

He finally spoke after he’d mustered his strength. “The… fuck… did you do to m-me?”

Lilith’s smile never faded as she spoke. “Oh. A potion I’d learned during my years in the Emperor’s Coven. Quite nasty, isn’t it? The longer you go without telling us everything that we need to know, the more intense the pain will get, for the next forty-five minutes.”

Castor’s stomached rumbled loudly. The pain had ceased momentarily, but in its place sat a strange discomfort. He knew it would only get worse from there.

Lilith waited for him to stop gasping so loudly, then continued. “In the event you resist the agony longer than that time limit, then the potion simply kills you, rotting you from the inside out. But, not before it’s truth-serum component will compel you to reveal everything we need to know. So, it’s really up to you just how much you will suffer for the next few minutes.”

Castor managed to bring his eyes up, rage built up under all the pain. “Why the fuck didn’t you just… use a truth-serum potion?”

Lilith voice was sweet as honey, before it went acidic. “Oh honey… the imbecile who decided to hurt both my family and my former student… _doesn’t get to choose how he dies!”_

Lilith straightened up, recomposing herself and looked to her sister, who couldn’t help but give her a prideful smirk. Lilith decided to ignore it, deciding to focus on what was most important.

“Now then, Edalyn, let’s see what we can learn.”

\---------------------------------------------

“Luz,” Eda knocked on the teen’s door, a short while later. “Come down to the kitchen. We need to talk.”

Eda proceeded down the hall and down the stairs. Luz emerged from her door seconds later. She was still somewhat exhausted from the battle earlier. She hadn’t known that taking a boost to her power meant that she would be paying the price for it later. She hadn’t done much after taking Amity’s blood, but even so, moving so fast took a lot out of her and it showed.

Luz proceeded on her way to the kitchen. When she entered, she found Lilith, Eda, and King all sitting at the table. They all looked at her, their faces twisted with worry that was directed at her.

“This is about today, right?”

“Yes, Luz. The situation has changed, and we need to explain it to you.”

Luz pulled up a chair beside King. She patted his bony head as he sat in his highchair, a move that usually brought a smile to his face – or as close to one as he could get. He chuckled, and then his look of worry returned. Luz knew that this was serious.

Eda sighed before she put on a serious face and spoke. “Alright kid. Here’s what we learned from your teacher. It seemed that Emperor Belos is responsible for the lack of vampires roaming around the Isles.”

Luz frowned. What did she mean by that?

Eda continued. “Apparently your teacher had a rather disturbing past. Not only was he part of an execution squad of the Emperor’s but he also had the secret task of locating and… well _killing_ any vampires that were found in the Isles.”

A gasp escaped Luz’s lips. “Y-you mean to tell me he’s killed others like me before?”

Lilith nodded gravely. “Yes. The Emperor committed genocide against the vampires that lived here in the Isles decades ago. Castor, or Mr. Crowns, assisted the Emperor in such a gruesome task.”

“That’s horrible! What the hell is wrong with him? Why would he do something so terrible?”

Eda and Lilith exchanged a look, before Lilith spoke. “Well, Luz, the reason lies in what you did with Amity earlier today. When you took her blood, you received a boost in power, correct? Well, that is the reason that the Emperor sought to remove all vampires from the Boiling Isles.”

Eda clenched her fist as she remembered the boneheaded Emperor who’d spent years trying to capture her. “As you are now, Luz, you’re a threat to him. Before he just considered you a human that was a minor annoyance but _now?_ With your ability to absorb power from other witches, and then add that to your own, you became a real threat to his plans.”

King added, “Vampires made for powerful, dangerous enemies Luz. One vampire who had bitten the right people could topple countries with both his physical and magical powers.

Luz felt anger bubble up inside her chest. She wasn’t hurting anybody! Neither were the other vampires who had lived before her! Yet they died for something they _could’ve_ did.S

“It’s not like I gained a whole lot of power from Amity, anyway!”

“It’s what you _might_ be capable of doing that scares him, Luz. Now, not all vampires ended up with immense power as they fed on other creatures, but all it takes is _one_ to be a serious threat.” King felt the worry build up inside him as he said what the others were thinking. “Now that he _knows_ you’re a vampire, he’ll try to destroy you.”

Eda put her hand onto Luz’s. “Kid, the news has spread all over town. It’s not safe anymore. Well _,_ technically we’re all still wanted and it wasn’t particularly safe anyhow but now he’s going to be making a real effort to get to _us_ so he can get to _you_. Which means…”

 _No. No_. Please don’t say what Luz was thinking she would say. It was a possibility, of course, but she wanted it to be anything but that.

“… you aren’t going back to school for the foreseeable future. Nor will you be seeing anyone we know. Officially, the Owl House is in hiding until we can get you cured and back to normal.”

Frustration got to Luz as she stood up. “Eda there’s gotta be something else we can do! I’m not afraid of the Emperor and I don’t want to stop going to Hexside!”

“I’m sorry Luz. We don’t have a choice, here. You’re in too much danger.”

“But Eda! We… we could fight them! We’ll beat anyone who tries to get to us!”

“Luz that’s insane. This isn’t like how it was before.”

“How isn’t it?! Hooty beat up a small army, _including_ Lilith, while toying with them! And now Lilith’s on our side! Not to mention I’m not the same puny human who stumbled here a few months ago.”

Lilith couldn’t help but frown, offended. She thought, _You didn’t have to bring that up._

“Kid, he’s going to send his best after us now. They will be relentless, and they will have time on their side while we don’t.”

“You could give me blood! Something, anything and we could-“

“Luz, stop!” Luz flinched when Eda’s hands clasped onto her shoulders. Eda’s eyes pierced into hers, which were beginning to well with tears. “We aren’t taking any risks. I _refuse_ to lose you again.”

“But-“

“And have you lost your mind? You’re not the only one at risk here! Just stop, Luz. We’ve talked about this and until we fix your situation, this is how things are going to be.”

Eda let go of Luz and stood, looking down at the young and heartbroken witch. “Deal with it, kid. You brought this on yourself. There’s no one to blame here but you.”

Her words were like knives in Luz’s heart. The tears came relentlessly now.

“Edalyn!”

“Eda!”

Luz ran out the kitchen, crying all the way, leaving her family to pick up the pieces.

“Why?” Lilith nearly screamed at her sister. “Why did you say that?”

“That was too much, Eda!” King chimed in angrily from his chair.

But Eda was fighting tears herself, and she turned to the two. “Because she needs to learn that her actions have consequences! Damn it, she should’ve learned a long time ago! She has to grow up sometime!”

Lilith and King looked to each other then back to Eda.

The Owl Lady sighed. She hated to make the kid cry, but Luz needed tough love. Her actions have placed this entire family in danger. She’d never meant to of course but that’s what she did. It’s time she fully realized the world is big and dangerous and the things you do in it have consequences. She needs to learn to think before she acts before she gets herself stuck in a place wriggle her way out of.

Eda would have to check up on her later. For now, she had work to do to protect her family.

“Alright… Lilith I’m about to cast a pretty big illusion spell so I’ll need you to-“

They jumped when Hooty zoomed into the kitchen, a look of panic on the bird-demon’s face.

“MAGICAL FIREBALL COMING IN, HOOT HOOT. Eda, stop it or we’re toast!”

Eda quickly rushed out the kitchen and out the front door, staff already summoned and in her hand. She didn’t need to search long for the aforementioned attack. Zooming downwards towards the Owl House was a fireball, green in color with smoke trailing behind it.

Eda pointed her staff at it, getting ready to detonate it before it hit the Owl House. Lilith appeared behind her, ready to assist however she could.

The fireball approached them at blistering speeds, just as Eda readied her spell. “I’ll take care of it, Lilith, you cast a protection spell over the house!”

BOOM!

Before any spells could be cast, the fireball suddenly exploded in the sky, well off from it’s target. The trees bent at the shockwave, and the two master witches planted their staffs into the ground to prevent themselves from being knocked off their feet.

A giant cloud of smoke formed where the ball detonated in the sky. Eda and Lilith relaxed, lowering their staffs.

“You fell for it!” A crazed voice called out, before a column of flames engulfed Lilith.

“Shit! Lilith!” Eda whipped around but had her fear quelled once she saw Lilith had casted a shield spell on herself before she was burned. Eda couldn’t relax long, because the ground shook beneath her.

She felt like something was approaching her from underground. She hurled herself out of the way, barely escaping the slimy grasp of a massive abomination hand.

“My my! The Owl Lady has such quick reflexes. This should be fun!” Another new voice called out. Eda turned to locate the man who had talked to her.

Approaching her in typical Emperor’s Coven uniform, pants and boots was what appeared to be a tall man, who walked with a calm confidence towards her. He lowered his finger, apparently having been the one who’d casted the abomination spell.

Eda looked over to Lilith, who had her staff pointed defensively towards a shorter opponent, also dressed in uniform like his ally. Eda leveled a glare back to the man who had attacked her.

“Who the hell are you?!” She pointed her staff at him, ready now for any attack he would prepare.

The taller witch motioned for his partner to stop. Then, he spoke to Eda in an almost pleasant voice, as if they were having a casual conversation. “We are the former associates of the man you killed earlier today. Before his death, we made up the team he had mentioned to you. The one that specializes in hunting those of a… _vampiric_ persuasion.”

The man unmasked himself. Eda noted that his face was dotted with scars, likely from the many battles he had survived. Though otherwise, he was handsome. Black hair, green eyes and a muscular build. He spoke in a way that made you think of a butler, very proper and polite.

Eda searched him for a staff but found nothing. Though, it didn’t seem to bother him much. He was certainly confident of his power without one.

“My name is Rowan Cassius. I specialize in abomination magic, as I have already demonstrated. It is nice to meet you, Ms. Owl Lady.”

Eda spun her staff, readying a fire spell. “The feeling ain’t mutual. I take it you’re here for Luz? I’m warning you, you’ll end up just like your friend if you think of getting close to her.” The acid in Eda’s voice would’ve made anyone nervous.

Rowan chuckled, only making Eda angrier. “That’s cute, Ms. Clawthorne. However, though we haven’t had to make use of our skills in some time, we are _professionals._ The Emperor has no need for either of you two; he only wants Luz Noceda. If you give her to us, he will not bother with you all for the time being.”

His partner spoke up again, yelling with excitement. “And if you fuckers decide that you’re going to make us _work_ for what we want, we have the Emperor’s permission to lobotomize you! So, _please_ tell us you want us to work for it!”

He also unmasked himself. Green hair, six red eyes, and a psychotic expression on his face. Where his partner was calm and cool, it was clear he was unhinged and ready to take off at a moment’s notice. He spun his finger, prepping more fire spells to aim at Lilith. “Also, the name’s Crell. Nice to meet you or some shit.”

Rowan clasped his hands together, drawing Eda’s attention to him once again. “What’s it going to be ladies?”

“Isn’t it obvious, dumbass?” Eda smirked. “We’d sooner die before we give Luz up!”

Eda snapped her fingers. Hooty exploded from the ground, right under Rowan’s feet. The demon slammed into the witch, sending him flying into the air with a shout of pain.

“OH I LOVE IT when they put up a fight! Just like old times!” Crell launched his attacks at Lilith, who maneuvered her way out of the incoming blasts.

Hooty shot into the air and slammed his body into the stunned Rowan, sending him crashing like a massive rock into the ground. Using his momentary confusion and pain, Eda charged forward, preparing a spell to bind him and end the battle quickly.

A slimy hand slammed into her chest. The world spun as and Eda went flying. She slammed into a nearby tree, her back now exploding in pain just like her chest. But she shook it off, and arose to her feet.

Rowan had summoned a giant abomination that sprinted towards Eda. He was already on his feet, cocky grin plastered on his face. He was hardly injured.

She scoffed as she prepared a new defense spell. She glanced over to Lilith, who was battling evenly against Crell. “This… could take a while.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

The sound of frantic scribbling filled Luz’s room, accompanied with the occasional explosion from the battle. Luz was rapidly scribbling glyph after glyph on her paper. Every single spell she knew she drew, and she drew multiple backups of the same spell just in case.

Luz was preparing for war, essentially. No way in hell was she going to let Eda and Lilith fight for her.

Hooty zoomed into her room from the open window. Luz yelped in surprise as her pen clicked when it dropped onto the floor.

“Hooty hooty reporting for duty!”

“Not now, Hooty. I’m about to go outside.”

Hooty stretched himself into Luz’s face, and the teen’s eyes narrowed in irritation as she finished making her glyphs. “No can do, Luz! Eda thought you would try something and ordered me to look after you! So that’s what I’m gonna doooooo.”

“I don’t care what Eda ordered you to do!” Luz put her glyphs in her backpack and got to her feet. Hooty followed her closely as she searched her room for her cape. “I’m going out there and you can’t stop me!”

Hooty zoomed towards her and wrapped her within his body in mere seconds. Luz struggled against his grip, using all her strength to try to pry free. Hooty barely budged, squeezing her tight enough to hold her but not enough to choke her or harm her.

“Sorry Luz! Gotta do what I gotta do!” Hooty beamed despite Luz’s rage.

“Damn it Hooty!” She struggled to stay as she was wrapped in the bird’s coils. “You smell like garbage!”

“So I smell _good_ today, hoot hoot!”

Luz continued to push with all her might, but Hooty was strong enough to overwhelm the Emperor’s Coven singlehandedly, a point she’d made earlier. She realized before long she wasn’t getting out without Hooty letting her.

She deflated, sighing loudly before groaning. She _hated_ being a sitting duck, but for the moment she was trapped. Unless…

“Hooty, please will you let me go? I gotta help Eda and Lilith!”

“No thanks!”

“I’ll find you a nice, juicy bug to eat!”

“Bugs are _friends_ , not food!”

In any other circumstance, Luz would have laughed at the reference Hooty had made, but she was determined to get out of the Owl House. “Okay. How about I find you a green beetle-“

“Luz!? Hooty?!” King walked into the room, causing Hooty to turn to him, bringing Luz around as well. The tiny demon gestured to the two of them. “Uh… what’s going on here?”

“King! Tell Hooty to let me go! I have to help them!”

“Actually Luz, I’m not going to do that. I’m with Hooty, you need to stay right here.”

A frustrated growl escaped from Luz’s mouth before she glared at King. “Are you kidding me? They are out there because of _me_! I’m not going to hide while they fight!”

“You’re not thinking here, Luz. You already almost got captured today, and here are two more powerful witches here to do the same thing. You go out there and get yourself killed or caught, and their efforts are completely pointless.”

“But-“

“Just _stop it,_ Luz. For once, just _think_ about what you’re trying to do.”

Yet again, defiant tears threatened to escape the teenagers eyes. What did King know? Maybe they could win with her help! It was better than doing nothing.

But… Luz’s mind began to wander to previous moments like this, where she was ready to jump without looking or thinking, like she always did. The duel against Amity that she had no chance of winning, taking Amity’s place at Grom and then running in fear when she realized it was too much. Trying to cure Eda’s curse by herself, which ended with her mentor being captured. Fighting the Emperor, who only toyed with her and let her live only because she had something he wanted.

She began to see the pattern.

Every time she impulsively rushed into a situation without thinking, she or someone else would pay the price for it, usually Eda or her friends.

And here she was, about to rush into battle knowing nothing about her opponents or having any idea as to how she would defeat them. Who says this time will be any different than before? Will she rush out there, the hunters will seize her and then it is game over? What if she only manages to become a liability to Eda and Lilith, the scared little kid they must protect whilst trying not to die themselves?

Hooty felt the girl’s body relax, releasing all its tension. King and Eda were right, no matter how much she wanted them to be wrong. Luz felt tears stream down her eyes, but she kept her voice steady. “ _You win_ , King. I’ll stay put.”

King’s eyes grew wide. She didn’t do _that_ very often…

He nodded to the defeated teen. “Okay. Good. Let Eda and Lilith handle this. They are proud members of the Bad Girl Coven after all. They’ll find a way out of this.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

The battle near the Owl House raged on, but Eda and Lilith’s magic reserves were beginning to run towards empty.

Lilith’s clothes had new tears present, revealing skin that been recently scratched, burned and bruised. They were present all over her arms, legs, and across her body as well. Simple movements brought her pain, but she pushed through.

She stole a glance towards her younger sister. Eda was also wounded; the fight had taken its toll on her as well. But the Owl Lady fought fiercely, as if her reserves were infinite. She had the same fury and intensity that she’d had when the battle had begun.

But Eda and Lilith were not as strong as they used to be. This battle would end soon, either with them finishing it somehow, or with _them_ being finished.

The two ended up back to back, staffs extended towards their enemies. Crell and Rowan had taken damage as well, and the two sisters had managed to give them new scars to add to their collections. But they were not slowing down in the slightest.

As the two witches blocked attacks simultaneously, they had a moment to chat.

Eda spoke to her sister in a perky voice as if they were just meeting on a pleasant day. “Lily! How are things going?”

“Edalyn, I could do without your childishness right now!” Lilith expressed through grit teeth. “We need to finish this now!”

“Alright, Lily don’t get silly on me!”

“Damn it, Eda-“

“Cast a blinding spell quick! Then, haul ass with me to the House. We only have one shot so you better be right behind me!”

“What are you two babbling about!?”

Eda’s face twisted into her famous smirk. “Nothing important! Lilith, now!”

Lilith used her strength to deflect the attack that had pestered her before, and with a yell, slammed her staff into the ground. Both she and Eda managed to close their eyes, but luckily for them, Rowan and Crell hadn’t reacted fast enough.

Lilith and Eda were on their staffs in an instant, and quickly flew right to the entrance. Lilith burst in through the door, Eda following close behind.

“Now what? They won’t be occupied long!”

Eda said nothing as she prepared a powerful spell she had saved for this exact occasion. Luz, King and Hooty ran downstairs to find Eda cast in a bright white light from the spell she was creating.

“Everybody! Hold onto something or get down! This could get rough.”

Lilith dropped to the floor in an instant. King held onto Luz, who grabbed onto the railing of the stairs and held on for dear life. An earthquake rumbled the entire house as Eda near completion of the spell. Books fell out of shelves, glass broke, artifacts and other items slammed into the ground as the violent shaking reached it’s peak.

Crell and Rowan had recovered and were sprinting towards the Owl House. They watched it shake and shift before them, and they tried to pick up their pace, frantically running towards their target.

But then, their target was gone. _Poof,_ it went, in a flash of light.

All that was left was a mark where the Owl House used to stand.

Crell and Rowan exchanged looks of bewilderment. Crell managed to get over his shock well enough to speak, and he asked one question.

“Where the _fuck_ did they go?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've ever thought, "Hmm. Luz becoming a vampire wasn't that big a deal for her," well this is where that changes. Now we're gonna see what life is like for a Boiling Isles fugitive who is actually in hiding. At least you will starting next chapter.
> 
> As always any feedback is greatly appreciated. You people make my day when you comment your praise, ask questions or offer tips. Thanks and I'll be posting again soon!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to post this whilst riding back to Fort Lauderdale. Fun times.
> 
> Anyways, VIB!

When Luz came to, the Owl House was shrouded in pitch black. The light that had once enveloped the living room was gone, and now she could see nothing but black as she held onto the railing of the stairs.

She heard groaning nearby, making her jump in the darkness. “Eda? Lilith? King? Hooty?”

“We’re here, Luz.” Lilith’s voice sounded pained, but otherwise she seemed fine. “Edalyn, how do you feel?”

Lilith casted a spell. In the darkness, the candles that lit the Owl House, blew out by the recent events, levitated into their previous positions. Flames flickered to life atop them, and the Owl House had light once again.

Luz took in her damaged surroundings. Books, items, artifacts, chests and more were littered all over the floor. Pictures had been shattered and some furniture was torn up. It was as if a tornado had touched down inside her home.

Her family looked like they had been hit by said tornado. Lilith held her head with grit teeth as she arose to her feet, likely having had a book collide with it during the ruckus. Eda had collapsed on her couch, her chest still rising and falling steadily.

King and Hooty were right next to Luz and thankfully were also relatively uninjured. All things considered, it could’ve went a lot worse.

“Everyone’s… alright, right?” Eda said between fatigued breaths. “I don’t have enough energy for healing.” She sighed, chuckling at nothing in particular.

The wood creaked as Luz walked down the stairs, King in tow behind her. As she stepped over broken items she had once examined in awed fascination, and tip-toed around ancient spell books that were once neatly placed on the now-broken bookshelf, she felt the guilt in her soul rise.

“You okay, Eda?” She sat next to her mentor, helping her up. The Owl Lady’s eyelid hung low as she spoke.

“Can you get me to my nest please? I’ll survive but only after I sleep for… a few years.”

With Luz grabbing Eda’s left side and Lilith on her right, the two walked the drained Owl Lady up her stairs and set her in her nest inside her room. Eda wasted no time, quietly snoring mere moments after she hit her nest.

Lilith sat up next to her sister, covering her in a blanket before sighing.

Luz couldn’t read the blank expression on her face. It did little to help the guilt still bubbling in her chest.

“She’ll be alright, Luz. Give us some time to rest and everything will be okay.”

“What happened?”

Lilith turned her attention towards the window. “I believe Edalyn used a teleportation spell. We are either underground somewhere or within a cave, most likely still somewhere in the Boiling Isles. My guess is that she had this location saved as a backup in case she were ever overwhelmed. I can see that it took a lot out of her, and she’s dangerously close to having expelled _all_ the magic within her body.”

That meant only one thing _. Eda could’ve died had she pushed herself any further._

Luz’s eyes went back to her mentor. The Owl Lady had bruises that dotted her arms which were accompanied with shallow cuts here and there. Her clothes were ripped up, her pretty red dress was ruined and would need to be cleaned and fixed.

Lilith was in a similar state, also injured. Though it would take only time and simple spells to heal their wounds and replenish their depleted magic reserves, Luz could tell that they had cut it close this time and had Eda not been a quick-thinker they would’ve all been goners.

And here they were, paying the price for _Luz’s_ stupidity.

 _This is all my fault_ was the thought that hit Luz like a gunshot.

“I’m sorry. I’m so so sorry.”

She quickly left the room before Lilith could respond. She briskly walked down the hall and into her room.

Her eyes fell to her desk, still holding the stacks of glyphs she had drawn to fight in the battle she was solely responsible for.

Eyes filling with tears once again, she raised her hand and swiped at her bag and the glyphs. Paper plopped onto the floor, along with her bag. She didn’t want to even look at them right now.

It just reminded her of all the stupid crap she does.

 _Who the hell do I think I am?_ She admonished herself in her head. _Did I really think I could help two master witches in a battle like that? I’m so_ stupid!

She fell onto her sleeping bag, wishing she could just disappear. She caused all this trouble for her family, terrified and hurt her friends with her death, and made everyone’s life more difficult, including hers.

Worse, after all this time they still had no idea how to fix her situation. Could this become the norm? Would everyone have to continue suffering because of her actions?

“I have to stop doing things like this.” Luz spoke aloud. “I _won’t_ keep making the same mistakes that I always do. It’s time for me to make a change.”

Her door creaked open. King stepped inside, concern all over his face. “You alright Luz?”

“No, King I’m not. Everything that has happened to us has happened because of me. Eda and Lilith got _hurt_ because of _me_. We were forced away because of _me._ I’m an idiot. I should’ve never messed with that spell.”

“Had you known that all this would’ve happened, you would’ve never bothered with that spell Luz. Don’t attack yourself like that.”

“How can you say that when we’re on the run now. We aren’t on the trial version of fugitive life anymore, King. Those hunters are _real_ and I’m their target. And it’s all my fault…”

Luz hugged her knees to her head as she cried. She heard the floors creak again as King approached her. She put up a hand and the creaking stopped.

“Please, King. I know you care but I just want to be alone right now.”

“Okay, Luz.” Luz waited until she heard the door close and laid onto her sleeping bag. She continued to sob in the darkness.

\---------------------------------------------

The next morning, a small crowd had gathered at the former site of the Owl House. Some were there to watch the Emperor’s Coven as they searched for the missing house, while others had arrived in disbelief, expecting this to be some elaborate illusion or trick pulled by the Owl Lady.

Gus and Willow exchanged worried looks as they looked at the mark left where the House once stood.

“Where do you think they went, Willow?”

“I don’t know, Gus. But all I want is for them to be safe. I wish we could help them somehow.”

“Me too.”

“So it’s true?”

Willow and Gus turned to see the Blight siblings walking up to the site. Amity held a look of frustration on her face, while the twins wore looks of sadness.

“The Owl House is gone. Eda and Lilith and King are gone. _Luz_ is gone.”

Willow’s eyes dropped to the ground as she turned to Amity. “Well, yes but that doesn’t mean that anything bad happened to them.”

“There’s craters and evidence of explosions all over the place. There was a battle before the house disappeared.”

“I meant that they’re okay! Eda and Lilith are powerful and Luz isn’t a slouch either. They’re going to be okay, Amity.”

“You don’t know that, Willow! What if something happened?” Somehow Amity was managing to keep her eyes clear of tears, but her voice told her friends she was struggling to keep it together, like the weight of this event was too much. “It’s not fair. I finally confess and Luz just disappears, and I don’t know where she is or if she’s okay.”

“Amity…” The youngest Blight felt hands grab her shoulders. Her siblings often teased her but today there were no jokes or pranks. “The Owl Lady and Lilith are powerful witches. Whatever happened, they’re probably okay.” Edric squeezed Amity’s shoulder for emphasis.

Emira added to his point, “And don’t forget, Luz promised you she would come back. That girl is a force of nature when she’s determined. All we can do now is wait.”

Amity looked to her two siblings before shaking her shoulders away. She sighed and mustered up a neutral expression. She was a Blight after all, and the last thing she wanted to deal with was her parents hearing about her breaking down in public.

“Fine.” She spat, with suppressed sadness. “Let’s just go. Willow, Gus, I’ll see you guys at school.”

“Bye Amity…” Willow waved as the Blight siblings walked off. “We should get to school too, Gus. Nothing we can do but wait for our best friend to come back to us.”

The next month passed in the Boiling Isles as summer ended. Eventually, the public interest in the Owl Lady and her family’s whereabouts dwindled. After all, people disappeared or died grisly deaths every day in the Boiling Isles.

Life got no easier for Luz. The Emperor was furious that she had not been captured, and he was quick to ramp up his efforts to draw her out. Within days of Luz’s disappearance, residents of the Boiling Isles noticed an increased guard presence throughout the city.

They were everywhere, inescapable. The markets, the neighborhoods, parks, plazas and anywhere they could be put.

There was special attention placed on items that were blood-based. Any stand that sold the item had guards present or patrolling nearby, always carefully watching anyone who purchased the item and frisking anyone who looked suspicious.

Luz and the Owl Gang were shocked to see these developments. But they weren’t deterred.

If anything, it would serve as motivation to fix this problem once and for all. However, as the Emperor changed the city in his search for Luz, Luz herself went through some changes.

\------------------------------

“Absolutely not.” Rang Eda’s voice, dripping with motherly irritation as she watched her crystal ball in the living room one morning. “Too dangerous, even if danger would otherwise make it all the more fun.”

Luz kept her voice calm and low, hoping to not agitate Eda further. She wanted to convince her to let her go. “Eda, we don’t have much choice. We cannot send King because if he gets caught or seen, he has no way to defend himself. If we send only Lilith, we will only be able to get so many supplies. You’re still not at one-hundred percent after nearly using up all your magic. Send _me_ with her, and with my vampire powers and glyphs, we can steal more stuff with lowered risk of capture or exposure.”

Eda let loose a sigh of exasperation. Luz pressed on, sensing weakness.

“We need more soap, Eda. We both know that King smells _horrible_ when he showers without it-“

The tiny demon jumped to his feet and shook his fist at the teen. “Hey!”

“And we’re running out of food. It’s not like we can grow anything down here, so the market is our only option and every time we go we need to get as much as we can.” Luz’s hands shook energetically as she spoke. Eda notes that it’s the most animated she’s been in weeks.

“Belos probably has hounds out there who’ve been trained to notice the scent of a vampire, kid. Did you think of that?”

Luz smirked for the first time in weeks. The look seemed almost alien to Eda after such a long time of her being down. “I know you have some weird artifact that can mask my scent or something.”

“I do. Problem is that it makes you smell like death, kid. Might attract unwanted attention.”

“Yeah, so that would make me exactly like five-hundred other monsters in the market. You ever get a whiff of a yeti after a long hot day?”

Eda honestly missed this Luz. Ever since the day of the attack, she’d been… different. Quieter, less excited. She smiled less, mostly spoke when spoken to, and whenever she wasn’t practicing with Eda or Lilith or out by herself, she stayed inside her room.

Once again, the Owl Lady sighed. A month ago, Luz would’ve snuck out of the Owl House and out their secret underground hideout, without letting anyone know, and gotten herself into trouble. Today however, she asked for permission and had carefully thought out exactly how she was going to go outside and minimize her risk of capture.

Apparently, Luz had grown spending all this time by herself. “Ugh. Fine.”

Luz smiled. She would’ve jumped up in excitement in the past, but she subdued her reaction. She surely didn’t want to make Eda start to change her mind. “Thanks Eda.” Then she held out her arms.

“Parallel arm thing?”

“Parallel arm thing.”

The mentor and the student embraced warmly, before separating. Eda returned the teen’s smile, but she wasn’t done yet. “Kid, I’m gonna trust you here. Straight to the market, get what we _need_ and nothing more, and straight back here. Make sure no one follows you and keep the emergency Owl close. Please, please don’t do anything reckless.”

Luz’s nodded, though Eda caught a hint of sadness in her voice when she spoke. “I’m better than that now, Eda. I’m done acting like a child.”

Eda hid her surprise well, before she nodded. “Good kid. Be quick, stay safe and get back here as quickly as you can.”

\------------------------------

Lilith scrunched her nose as she and Luz made their way through the forest, heading towards the market. A rather oppressive smell had been attacking her nose as soon as she and Luz had left the house. She tried to ignore it but she could do it no longer.

“What in the name of the Titan is that smell, Luz?”

“It’s Eda’s hat thingy.” Luz’s finger jutted towards the hat atop her head. “Makes a horrible scent that generally makes people steer clear of you, with the added bonus of masking my own scent and sending hounds running for the hills.”

“I imagine it will be effective because the smell is utterly repulsive. Are you ready for me to cast the illusion spell?”

“Go ahead.”

With a spin of her staff, Lilith and Luz were changed into entirely different creatures. Luz was transformed into a small red demon, complete with yellow eyes, horns, and claws. Lilith became a tall, dark-skinned witch with a muscular build.

Luz examined her new look with wide-eyes and a grin. “Nice. I look pretty cool!” She jumped when she’d heard her voice had even changed, becoming deeper and slightly distorted.

“Don’t get used to it.” Spoke the now male Lilith. “This is just until we get what we need and get back to the Owl House.”

“Understood. Let’s go.”

\--------------------------

“Do you understand the plan?”

“Yes, though I really do not like it.”

“Look, I’m creating the distraction while you steal. I’ll cause some kind of ruckus, get everyone’s attention while you and I make a clean getaway. If the guards come after either one of us, I’ll use a glyph that’ll buy us some time. If one of us is captured…”

She produced two plant glyphs and handed one to Lilith. “Tap this. It’ll release a large vine that’ll overwhelm any guards and should free you.”

With wide-eyed disbelief, she looked to the plant glyph and then back to the teenager. “Since when have you started thinking ahead?”

Luz could not help but grin. “Come on, let’s get this done already.”

Moments later, the market was in absolute chaos. Monsters and witches alike were running around being chased by sentient plants. They reached out for the creatures with their leaves and vines, hissing and growling as they chased after their prey.

They looked intimidating but Luz had made sure they were harmless. All bark and no bite, but it would take some time for everyone to figure that out. Guards were chasing after the plants with clubs and tazers, tripping and falling over terrified citizens as they did so. Lilith quickly casted spell after spell, grabbing items from multiple now-unoccupied stalls, and quickly cast a spell to hide them from sight.

The plan had worked perfectly. For maybe a few moments.

“Hey! You weirdos! Drop those items and come with us!” A small trio of guards had caught Luz and Lilith as they were stealing gorgon milk. The guards sprinted towards them, stepping over dead plants and ignoring the live ones that still hissed at them.

Luz got out her plant glyph she’d had. “I got this!” Dropping the paper into the ground and stepping on it, the guards were assaulted by a large vine.

It quickly snaked it’s smaller vines around them and lifted them up into the sky. The guards screamed in fear as they were rapidly wrapped up into green cocoons by the plant, until on their eyes and noses were visible.

Lilith could do nothing to mask the impressed smile on her face. She turned to Luz and nodded her approval. “Let’s make our getaway kid. I think I’m starting to like this new Luz.”

The two quickly made their way out of the market, though they always checked to make sure they weren’t being followed. Thankfully, they made it back to the Owl Hideout without incident.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright. So, we got a few chapters left and this story will be wrapped up! Thank you everyone who read, subscribed, provided kudos and more!
> 
> Good news everyone! I already have an idea for a new story, and it'll most likely involve a ghost Eda.
> 
> Don't worry it won't be unbelievably sad like Ghost of You. In fact, I hope to have a lot of fun with it. If I go through with it, expect to see it some time after I complete this story. Feel free to subscribe to me directly if u want notification of when it is posted!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! Been a while, and I apologize for that. Upgraded my CPU, bought a new cooler, had a bunch of assignments to do that I procrastinated on, and now I've got work to worry about. I've been busy lately and though I make no promises, I will do my best to update a bit earlier.
> 
> Anyways, VIB!

Eda’s snores echoed throughout the Owl House. Her mouth hung wide open, tongue hanging to the side of her jaw as she loudly snored. It didn’t happen too often that she caught a good nap, and if the sound of her snoring was anything to go by, she was enjoying it immensely.

The door slammed open and Eda’s eyes shot open.

“AHH!” She screamed.

“AHH!” Luz and Lilith screamed in response, still on edge from their recent trip to the market.

Eda’s wide eye stare dropped when she realized who it was at the door, and narrowed into a drowsy glare.

“So much for having a pleasant nap.” She sat up and rubbed her eyes, groaning as she did so. “How did things go at the market?”

Lilith snapped her fingers and their loot materialized, levitating around the pair.

Eda’s eyes widened once more as she took in the items they managed to snag. Food, cleaning products, potion ingredients, a few books…

Luz was right. They managed to get much more with Luz’s help than when Lilith went alone. She chucked, “Nice job you two. I’ll admit it Luz, you did great.”

King, who was resting on the windowsill nearby and was also startled by the pair’s startled arrival, jumped to the ground and ran up to them excitedly.

“Yes! Food for the King! He demands we eat immediately!” He did a victory pose, raising his arms high above his head and clenching his fists.

“Sure King but I want to talk to Eda about these books that I found in the market.” Luz grabbed the levitating books, drawing Eda’s attention.

“What books?”

“Some books we found on vampires. Maybe we could find some more information in them?”

Eda shrugged. “Worth a shot kid. Hand me and Lilith one and we’ll see what we can find.”

* * *

Luz had just finished looking through the book, hunting for any relevant information to her situation. But she had found none.

Once again, she had drawn blanks in the search for a solution to her vampirism.

A knock to her door caught her attention. “Come in!”

Eda and Lilith entered her room, carrying the books that Luz had given to them. Judging by the looks on their faces, Luz deduced that they had just as much luck as she did finding anything.

Eda sighed, holding up her book with a gloomy face. “Sorry kid. Bunch of boring history and talk about famous vampires of the past, but nothing on the existence of any reversal spells or something that could help us.”

“It’s the same for me as well, Luz. Sorry but we’re still stuck at square one.” Lilith chimed in apologetically.

Sighing, Luz returned her attention to her own book, worry building in her face. “What are we gonna do? As long as I’m stuck like this, those hunters are going to keep coming!”

“We know kid.” Eda’s brow furrowed in thought. “Look, I think the Bat Queen may be able to help us here. I meant to get in contact with her earlier but obviously we have been a little preoccupied. I’ll contact her and see if we could meet her or something.”

“Great! I’d love to see her again! Also, we got everything we needed from today’s run, right? We were in such a rush I’m scared we forgot something.”

Lilith and Eda shared a look.

“Well, we’ve got plenty of food and drinks, cleaning products, ingredients for potions and whatnot. I can’t really think of anything… wait, you got food for Hooty right?”

“Aw farts we forgot food for Hooty!”

“Can’t he just consume some of the food we’d brought?” Lilith asked.

“Yeah, but he hates it. Damned bird is surprisingly picky about what he eats. Bugs and leaves are fair game, but for some reason he draws the line at spicy fire squid. We gotta get him real food. You do _not_ want to see what happens to him when he doesn't eat right.”

Luz lit up. “Oh! Can I make a quick solo run then?”

“I don’t know kid. Not today, I don’t want to push our luck. It’s best you and Lilith make a quick run tomorrow. In fact, be a pretty good time to go see the Bat Queen as well.”

“Great! Thanks Eda, Lilith!”

“No problem kid, and good night.”

* * *

The next morning, Luz and Lilith were walking through the market once again, searching for suitable food for the annoyingly picky Hooty and looking for any other potentially useful items they could snag.

It was a chillier day than yesterday, which was exacerbated by how windy it was. Luz would occasionally have to tug her magic hat down onto her head to make sure it stayed in place. The last thing she wanted was for it to fly off.

The teen noticed a relative lack of guards compared to what she had seen yesterday. She knew that their prescence had been kicked up but today they were few and far in between. The two disguised witches walked through the market fairly comfortably, not having to keep their eyes on the guards as much as they used to previously.

Strange. But not unwelcome. And, thanks to Eda’s hat, they were also given plenty of space from the other shoppers as well. Luz couldn’t help but chuckle every time someone frowned, sniffling before expressing their disgust at the two before walking away or covering their nose as they passed.

The pair arrived in the food court area of the market. Tables with seats were set up and occupied by dozens of different monsters and witches, consuming foods that ranged from the exotic to the downright strange.

“Let’s hurry up and grab that damned bird his feed before something happens.” Lilith started towards some booths that sold exactly the type of food that Hooty ate. “I think it’ll be better we actually purchase these items. We should avoid another incident like yesterday, lest we want someone to potentially piece together who we are somehow. I’ll be back.”

Luz found herself an empty table and sat down, deciding to entertain herself through monster-watching, the Boiling Isles equivalent of people-watching.

The wind gusted again and its invisible hands seemed to tug at Luz’s hat. Once again, she grabbed it and pulled it down, holding it there as she waited for the gust to settle down.

Instead, it continued to pick up speed. The whole area soon took notice. Plates and napkins went flying, followed by food and accessories like purses. Some smaller creatures like fairies had to hold on for dear life to whatever they could to avoid being carried away.

Luz tugged harder onto her hat, locking her hands around its edges to make sure it didn’t go anywhere. However, that left her half-open glyph bag vulnerable to the winds.

She gasped as one paper slipped out, then another, and finally a whole army of them flew up and into the wind. The girl forgot her hat for a moment, zipping up her bag and rushing to grab any nearby glyphs that had managed to fall to the ground. She could always make more but the last thing she’d wanted was to need them and not have them while they were out and about.

She moved quickly, zipping up the open bag and grabbing all the glyphs she could. It took a moment or so, and she quickly stuffed what she caught back into her bag and properly zipped it.

She breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, in the still-aggressive wind, her hat flew off.

“Crap!” The teen’s hand flew into the air in an attempt to catch it, but it was in vain. The hat flew up and gained altitude and speed rapidly, sailing away from her like a bird in flight. She gave chase after it, running as fast as she could.

She dodged and weaved around monsters and a few guards as she tried to catch the hat, hoping it would end up somewhere she could reach.

But it only flew faster and higher away, until finally Luz stopped, watching it as it disappeared in the army of stands in the distance.

_Damn it. We need to get out of here now!_

Luz turned, ready to run to Lilith, only to nearly run over a pair of guards standing behind her.

 _Uh oh,_ she thought, _they’ve got one of those damned dog-things._

The two guards in question stood in front of her, their expressions unreadable thanks to their masks. One of them indeed held the leash to the dog-creature with the advanced sense of smell. Luz watched it sniff the air for a moment, and became relieved when it returned to panting loudly, fortunately not interest in her at the moment.

Maybe the hat’s effect smell had rubbed off on her? Maybe it was distracted by another scent? Whatever the case, she wanted to avoid these guards like the plague and get right back to Lilith so they could finally leave.

She tried to step around her but a gloved hand stopped her. Her heart skipped a beat.

“Excuse me miss.” The guard spoke to her with concern in his voice. “We saw you running; are you alright?”

Luz felt her forehead get sweaty despite how cool it was outside. “Perfectly fine! Just lost something I had bought, and I tried to get it back. Sadly, I think it’s gone so oh well!” She shrugged and proceeded to slide around the two guards, quickly speed walking in the direction of the food area.

The guard called behind her, making her tense up. “Wait we could help you locate it if you would like?”

Luz turned back to him with a forced smile. “Thanks, but no thanks. Don’t trouble yourself, I’ll be fine!”

She started on her way towards Lilith and thankfully the guards didn’t try to pursue her. She found Lilith standing, holding the items they’d bought for Hooty and searching for her.

She scolded the teen when she stopped in front of her. “Heavens, Luz there you are! You had me worried! Let’s be on our way. The sooner we see the Bat Queen the better.”

“My thoughts exactly. Let’s get out of here.”

Lilith frowned when she noticed the absence of Luz’s hat. “Luz! The hat! Where is it?”

“It flew away!” She threw her arms up to emphasize her point. “The wind and the bag and… let’s just go!”

A groan, then an exasperated sigh followed. “Oh alright but Eda’s not going to like that you lost her hat.”

As the pair started on their way out of the market, they didn't noticed the hound that Luz had left behind. Now that the masking stench of Eda’s hat was long gone, it got to sniffing again.

The guards took notice. The one who held the leash knelt down, eyes narrowed in suspicion as the dog continued to sniff the air.

“Got something boy?” The dog turned away from him and turned towards Luz and Lilith. It continued to sniff for a few seconds and then it growled at them.

The guards turned their attention to the two witches. The dogs growls turned to loud barks, and the guards knew that something was going on.

“Get in contact with the Hunters.”

Luz and Lilith tensed as they heard the hound barking behind them and hastened their walking. Luz cursed herself for losing the hat. Hopefully, the dog had found something else to bark at and not them, but she wasn’t feeling very confident.

Lilith’s eyes hunted the market, searching for potential attackers. Luz loses her hat and that damned hound starts barking? Not a coincidence. Her hands twitched as she got ready to blow her cover and summon her staff. She did not want to be caught off guard, especially not with all these guards around.

“Child, listen to me. We may have to fight the same witches Edalyn and I had battled before, not to mention they will be backed up by the Emperor’s Coven. We can’t beat them so we need to focus on making our escape as quickly as we can. Do you have your glyphs ready?”

Luz reached into her bag, before hissing in frustration. “I have my glyphs, but I lost some of them in the wind earlier. I think it’ll be enough, though.”

“It’ll have to be. Keep walking but be ready to fight at a moment’s notice.” The teen nodded and returned her attention to the street ahead of them.

For a moment everything seemed fine, until Luz felt a vine lock around her ankle.

She had a second to gasp before the vine grew and yanked her into the air. Luz’s vision flipped as she hung upside down, arms falling and pointing to the ground. Her brain took a second to register that she was being attacked, but she got moving once she did.

Her hands flew to her bag, ready to defend herself. But it burst into flames, making her scream as she yanked her hands away.

“Too slow.” She heard someone yell nearby. The flames died down seconds after they appeared, but her bag was ruined, and her glyphs were gone.

“Whoops.” The sound of boots landing on the top of a nearby booth caught her attention. “My bad. Don’t wanna fuck up the _merchandise.”_ Said an unmasked, almost-alien looking witch with crimson eyes, grass-green hair and a chilling grin on his face. Normally Luz loved to see cool monsters with lots of eyes, but she hated this one right away.

“Luz!” Lilith, still disguised, summoned her staff and readied a spell to cut the young girl down.

She heard her capturer cackle next to her. There was no doubt now who it was that was calling Luz’s name. “Hey bitch, better look out or else-“

Lilith didn’t see the train of muscle until it was too late. He slammed into her with the gentleness of a locomotive, sending her crashing into a booth with stars in her vision, items and merchandise exploding out from the impact.

“Too late. Stupid bitch.” Crell laughed again, a chilling sound that made Luz even more uncomfortable as she struggled upside down against the vine.

She managed to turn to him and level an angry glare at him. He only smirked smugly in response. “Aw now, don’t give me that look. Bet you won’t have all that fire once the Emperor gets to ya. Speaking of….” He shouted to the freight train down below, most likely his partner. “Hey Rowan buddy! Keep that bitch busy and I’ll take this little shit back to the castle!”

Rowan turned and nodded to his partner, as guards closed in on where Lilith had landed. The witch in question groggily rose to her feet, blood trailing down from her nose. Lilith grabbed her staff and released the now-pointless illusion spell.

She wiped her nose as she glared at Rowan and the approaching guards. She then turned her attention to Luz, who was now tied up nearly head-to-toe in vines, looking almost like a cocoon as Crell lifted her onto his shoulder and prepared to make his escape.

Luz was defenseless without her glyphs. Worse, they would simply lose if they tried to stay here and just fight. She had to get Luz and get going.

Crell wrapped arm around the growling and struggling teen, whose voices was muffled under the vines wrapped around her face. He was about to get on his way, until there was an explosion nearby and the roof collapsed beneath his feet.

He lost his grip over Luz and fell into the collapsed booth. Luz’s felt herself fall, screaming before she felt the vines tighten around her front and sides, while she felt as though she were being lifted by the vines on her back.

She couldn’t see it, but Lilith had sent her own staff to catch the teen. The dust was settling near Lilith, who created an explosion to temporarily mask her actions, allowing her to send out her staff to catch Luz after she had blasted the booth that Crell was standing on. Incredibly, Lilith had managed to get it to snag Luz before she fell into the now-burning booth below her.

The vines loosened thanks to another spell Lilith cast. Luz turned and grabbed onto the staff/ Once she had gotten right-side up and secured her hands onto the staff, she jerked forward.

She bee lined toward the now-visible Lilith, who dodged fire and ice spells and was trading blows evenly with Rowan in hand-to-hand combat. _Huh_ , Luz thought as she observed the fight for a moment, _didn't know Lilith was a fighter._

The staff swung around and sailed a dozen feet above the ground, rapidly approaching Lilith. The witch cast another plant spell, and launched herself into the air, flying right next to Luz.

The teenager reached out her hand, and Lilith barely caught it. With all her strength, the teenager swung the elder witch onto the staff, who landed on it facing her.

And the two bumped heads as they sailed away.

Lilith rubbed her temple as she turned around and gripped her staff. Their enemies shook their fists and cursed them as they flew away. “That was much too close Luz.”

Heart beating rapidly in her chest, Luz nodded her head. “Agreed. Think we need to lay low for a while.”

Lilith turned to face her, hair flowing in the wind. A small smile found its way onto her face. “Good idea. But let’s not tell Eda about this or else she’ll tease me-“

“LILITH!”

They slammed into something black as the world went dark, wet and sticky. On instinct, the two opened their mouths and tried to suck in air, only for goop to fill their mouths. They struggled and fought in the gooey mess, terrified and confused.

Luz fought and fought, clawing away at the substance as she fought to surface, tried to get to air. She turned her head up, hoping she’d reach something as she felt her chest begin to burn. She did _not_ want to die again.

Mercifully, she managed to surface, or at least get as close as she could to the definition of it. Shaking her eyes of remaining goop she opened them and took in her surroundings.

They were covered in abomination goo. However, it was floating and formless, not at all shaped like an abomination. But what alarmed Luz was that they were moving rapidly, and in the direction that they came from.

“No no no!” Eyes searching rapidly for Lilith, Luz felt panic constrict her throat. Lilith surfaced next to her, loudly sucking in air and coughing. Luz tried to reach for her just as Lilith opened her eyes, but that was when the goop started to split.

Lilith tried to reach for Luz as well, but despite her strength the goo had her arms imprisoned inside of them. “Luz! Don’t worry I’ll get you!” The mass of goo split in two, separating the pair into separate balls of gunk.

“Lilith!” Luz struggled but she might as well have been in handcuffs. She could hardly move her body, and she would need to soon because out of the corner of her eye she could see the Hunters, waiting patiently for her arrival.

If they got her now, that would be it. Game over. Luz would lose everything if she got captured now. She had no way to defend herself and Lilith was immobilized and out of her reach.

She racked her brain for an exit route. She was normally great at improvising but her mind was drawing blanks. Without her glyphs, a staff, or even the ability to move her body, she had no way out of this.

The reality sunk in. She was going to lose. The Emperor would get to her and then it would be all over. For real this time.

Luz felt sadness creep in on her anger and frustration. But, she wasn’t going to give up.

When she landed she started to scream and threaten her capturers. “Let me go! I’ll fight all of you if that’s what it takes to win!”

Rowan swung his head from side-to-side in pity. “Foolish little girl. You’re caught. Give up and make this easier for everyone.”

Luz growled. “Go to hell! I’ll never give up. I’ll keep fighting until my last breath!”

“Well, I guess we’ll see if you’ll keep your word.” Rowan nodded to his partner, then to the crowd of guards. “Let us be on our way, after we deal with Lilith here.”

The witch in question was still trapped in the gooey prison. Rowan had manipulated a small piece of the goo to cover her mouth, but she still glared and could be heard growling at the Hunters and the guards. “Ah Lilith. The Emperor told me to make your death as painful as possible for you betrayal. So, I feel that drowning will be a most appropriate death for you.”

With a smug, victorious smile, he snapped his fingers. “Goodbye, Lilith Clawthorne.”

Luz screamed and struggled in panic as the abomination goo started to rise and cover Lilith’s body. Her shoulders were submerged, then came her neck.

Her chin was next.. Then her mouth was covered completely. Lilith maintained a defiant glare as her nose disappeared into the muck, then her eyes. Finally, she was submerged into the goo, her form sinking into it and disappearing. Luz screamed harder and louder than she ever had in her life.

“You bastards!” She cried and did not try to hide it, nor did she hide the panic in her voice. “Let her go and just take me _please!”_

Her pleas fell onto deaf ears. It wouldn’t be long until Lilith was gone, and it was all her fault. The realization and the subsequent guilt felt like hands that were choking the life out of Luz.

“HELP! ANYONE! PLEASE!”

_SLAM!_

Luz felt a massive shockwave slap her in the face, forcing her to close her eyes. A second passed.

She heard blows land. Guards groaned and yelled out in pain.

Another second passes. An explosion, the sound of flames, and the sound of the earth moving hits Luz’s ears. Also, the sound of splashing liquid hits her ears, just before Luz fells the abomination goo relax and fall to the ground. She is free once again.

Her eyes open and she slowly drags her vision up from the ground.

The Bat Queen stares at her, eyes filled with fury. But it was directed at the guards she had just attacked, who looked like they had just been ran through. Some were trying desperately to put out flames on their clothes, others strained against magical binds that locked them into place. Even the Hunters were out cold, passed out in another collapsed booth.

Luz heard coughing and felt immense relief when she saw Lilith, still breathing and alive, on all fours and hacking up goo. “Lilith!” She got to the witches side and gradually helped her to her feet.

The Bat Queen spoke to the two. “The Owl Lady told me of your new situation. I was expecting you at my home but had not expected to find you here in the market before your visit. I caught the scent of a vampire, and went to investigate.”

“We needed to pick something up for Hooty. I… messed up again and we were attacked. It’s a good thing you were here, otherwise we would’ve been goners.”

The Bat Queen nodded, and Luz almost thought she saw the ghost of a smile. “Indeed. Babies needed food, so I had to make a quick run. Come. You will be safe with me.”

“Aren’t you afraid of getting onto the Emperor’s bad side?”

The Bat Queen shook her head, so in essence she shook her whole body. “Not at all. He is indeed very powerful, but not immortal. Not to mention, that forest is _my_ domain. He can try, but he knows he will never be able to get to us. Now come before the fools wake up and I am forced to kill them. The babies are asleep and I wish to return as soon as possible.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bat Queen to the rescue!
> 
> Not going to lie, I feel a little iffy on this chapter. My writing is getting better the more I do it, but I can still see the cracks and errors in it. Oh well. 
> 
> Anyways, I wanna say I've got... maybe 3 - 6 chapters left for this story? Including the epilogue? So it's not long now and VIB will be concluded! Then, it's onto the Ghost Eda story that I am growing more and more excited for! 
> 
> Anyhow, I'll be back with another chapter in a few days or so. Give me title ideas for the next story in the comments! Bonus points if it references a movie but replaces the movie title with something Owl-House related. (Yeah, the title of this story is based off a movie. I liked the title so I stuck with it).
> 
> If you have no title suggestions I'm perfectly happy with thoughts and opinions. Take care and stay safe you guys!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah. Uhm, my bad.
> 
> Had started this chapter a day after I posted the last one. Then got super caught up with, like, everything. From here on out, I won't be saying when chapters release because life makes it so that I cannot guarantee when I get time to create and post the chapter.

“So, these are the babies Eda sometimes talks about with a sad look in her eyes.”

Lilith eyed the children of the Bat Queen, who had grown slightly larger since the last time Luz had seen them, though they were clearly still tiny and adorable.

The teen had tried to give them a hug, arms outstretched and ready to squeeze them tight. However, they had hissed at her, stretching out their wings threateningly.

Luz took the hint and yanked her arms away in fear of potentially losing them. “Alright. Point taken.”

The Bat Queen, who sat in her nest with her children nearby, turned to them. “Alright babies, time for a nap. Mommy has business to take care of.”

The three babies snuggled together, and in mere moments were snoring quietly.   
  
The Bat Queen's head tilted to Luz. “So, Edalyn tells me that you have become a vampire. And now you are searching for a way to return to your human form?”

”Yeah. I did something stupid, and got myself into this predicament.”

”It would appear that this is common for you. Getting into these _predicaments.”_

”Hey! True as that may have been in the past, I’ve gotten much better. Gone are the days I jumped into things without thinking.”

”Hmm.” The Bat Queen sounded unconvinced.

Luz felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment. “Look, I messed up. Really badly this time, and we need your help. You’ve been around longer than anybody. Do you know anything at all about vampires? Preferably something that could make me stop _being_ one?”

The Bat Queen tilted her head upwards and look off into her home in thought. The wind continued to breeze outside, before it went silent as Luz waited for an answer.

Her heart sank when the Bat Queen finally answered. “No, child. Unfortunately I do not know of any spells capable of changing you back. At least, not ones that’ll make you _human.”_

Luz cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

“Humans aren’t very common or popular here in the Boiling Isles, as you’ve already experienced. Humans have no inherent magical capabilities, their bodies are significantly weaker and less durable than most witches or monsters, and frankly... most of us consider your species to be inferior.”

”Ouch.”

”Theres no benefit in going through the trouble of crafting a spell to become a human. Transformation spells need to be perfected, refined, and that takes a lot of time... and lots of failure as well. Things will go wrong many times, often resulting in hideous, incomplete transformations. What witch would go through all that just to become a human?”

”So you’re saying no spells like what we’re looking for exist?”

”Yes. To my knowledge, no spells to become a human have been created by any witch.”

”So... I just have to create a spell that’ll make me human again?”

”You could, in theory. But, in your current situation you lack the necessary time. I’m sure the Emperor will continue to pursue you, and you may be exposed and captured before you have crafted the spell to your liking.” She sighed, before finishing. “Your only option, child, is to become another creature entirely, making use of a spell that is already perfected. Then, you could likely wait until everything dies down.”

“Well I can’t do that! What will my mother say when she sees me coming home as a dragon or a fairy? If she doesn’t disown me for lying and disappearing for months, she’ll definitely do it when I show up with scales!”

”You don’t have much of a choice, child. The Emperor will pursue you until you are dead or otherwise not a threat to his rule. Unless death is preferable, you must shed your vampirism and become a different creature.”

Luz grew silent. Lilith stepped forward and grasped her shoulder. Luz met the witch’s eyes which held sympathy. 

“She may be right Luz. We can’t do this forever. Its time to end this.”

Shedding her vampirism to become another creature? Luz just wanted to be human again.

She wanted to go out and feel the sun without having to bathe in magical lotion first. She wanted to have a heartbeat again. She wanted to actually _eat_ food again, even if it was strange and sometime cursed at her.

She could think of one potential benefit of having to become another creature...

She got giddy with excitement. ”If I’m forced to become another monster to save myself from capture, then would I get a magic bile sac?” She gasped. “Would I finally be able to do magic the normal way?”

The Bat Queen shook her head. “No, child. Any transformation spell we use will be similar in nature to the one that put you in this predicament. So, you will not be growing a bile sac.”

Deflating like a balloon, Luz sighed before crossing her arms. “That stinks. Well, can't I just be transformed until we make a spell that'll make me human again?”

"Also no."

"WHY?"

She rolled her eyes with exasperation. "Too much of anything is a bad thing, that's why. Transformation magic can be... unpredictable. Some monsters meddled with it in the past, and ended up half as one creature and half as another. Or, three-fourths and one-quarter, whatever. You may become a demon with a vampire's diet and a human heart, which may not sufficiently pump your body with the blood and nutrients it needs, for example. If you're going to meddle with transformation magic, it's best to do it as little as possible, to minimize the risk of permanent side-effects or deformities."

"Fine. That stinks, too. Well, what about-"

The large bat-woman narrowed her eyes impatiently at the teen. “You waste time, child. Sooner or later you will be found and you will be slaughtered. You must make your decision! What monster will you become?”

”Wait... wait... this is a lot to think about! How do we know that just becoming some monster is the best option? What if there is another way?”

”Like what, Luz?”

They were going to think she was crazy. Business as usual for Luz, though. 

She thought, _What about vampires that can basically function as humans?_

She pondered for a moment. What were they called?

_Daywalkers? Dhamphirs!_

"Wait! What about a spell that'll turn me into a dhamphir?"

"A what now?"

"You... don't know anything about dhamphirs? They're vampires that are half-human. They can go out in the sun and aren't as reliant on blood to survive."

"We have no such creatures, child." Barked the Queen dismissively.

"Are you sure about that? How are you so sure there might not be one inside of Bonesborough?"

Her words drew skeptical looks from both Lilith and the Bat Queen, and the latter cocked her eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

* * *

"You think Prince Roman is a vampire?" The skeptical Eda cocked an eyebrow to her apprentice. "Are you sure?"

Luz plopped down onto the couch next to the Owl Lady, sparkles in her eyes with excitement. "Well, not completely, but yes! At least I think he is, and I also think he could help us!"

"Stop for a second there, kid." Eda set her glass of juice down onto her table. "What makes you so sure?"

"I got a strange feeling from him when I first met him in the market. A feeling like... I was _drawn_ to him, like I knew him or something."

"Like he's just like you?"

"Yeah. It was weird, but I only felt that way when I was near him, and only him. Is there any way that he could meet us so that we could talk to him?"

Eda shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I've been meaning to sell him some items I'd found from a grab a few months ago. I guess it's worth a shot. But, he is _not_ meeting us here."

"Great! So, where are we going to meet him?"

* * *

Luz trembled in the chilly breeze as she ascended the snowy peaks of the Knee. The snow crunched under her feet as she followed Lilith and Eda. The Knee was certainly chiller than it'd had been during the summer, and the grey skies helped none. But, Luz knew it would all be worth it if her hunch was correct. And if it wasn't, and Roman decided to attack them or something, then they could at least battle without having to worry about interference from the Emperor's Coven.

They continued to walk in the cold until they reached the summit, the exact area that Eda had set as the spot to meet. They were alone up there, save for the chirping of a few birds and small critters running around. That, and lots and lots of snow.

Eda brushed some snow off of one of the large rocks and sat down. She exhaled, somewhat exhausted from the climb up. "In hindsight, probably could've chose somewhere a little warmer."

Lilith scooped the snow off her own rock and sat down with a huff, chilly breath flying from her lips. "You think, Edalyn?"

"Hey, don't get smart with me. Otherwise I'll get the rhymes out and get smart with _you."_

Lilith aimed a glare at her, before huffing once more and looking elsewhere. Luz found her own seat and sat down, anxiety turning her chest to mush. She really hoped that she was right, because she really hoped that the Prince could help them. Otherwise, her mother would have some kind of monster come home to her one day, and Luz shuddered when she thought of how her mother might react.

Would she scream at her, and grab her gun from inside her room and threaten her with it? Would she tell her daughter to get out? What if her new condition only makes it impossible for her mother to accept that Luz wanted to be a witch more than anything else?

Eda took a glance at her student. The poor kid was down, eyes staring at the snowy surface. "Hey, Luz," she reached over and place a hand on her shoulder. "It's going to be alright, okay?"

"Will it, Eda? I don't want to be anything other than what I am... well, what I _was._ The Bat Queen said that I'll have to become something else if I want to have any real chance at things going back to normal."

"And they will. Have a little faith in us, kid. If this doesn't work out, we'll find something else. We'll improvise."

Luz nodded but her smile made no appearance. "Oh, come on, Luz. When I told you that humans can't be witches, you proved me wrong and _found_ a way. That's exactly what we're going to do here."

There she goes. Luz's lips curved into a grin. "Okay. I have faith in you, Eda."

Good enough for Eda, who tousled the teen's hair before returning to her rock. "And if the heat gets too intense, I have a backup plan just in case."

"What's your plan?"

"Eh, don't worry too much about it kid. I'm not even done with it yet. Besides, hopefully I won't have to resort to that."

A few minutes passed and they all sat in silence.

The sound of crinkling snow caught their attention. Eda and Lilith, fearing a hungry monster, had their staffs out, but quickly relaxed when they heard a voice.

"Owl Lady! You had better be out here, because it's blasted cold on this day!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not too much to say here. Thx as usual and I'll see you guys soon.
> 
> Also, the more I come with ideas for the next story, the more excited I get. God, I hope when I release it I do it right and make it a really good one!
> 
> Until next time, guys!


	11. Chapter 11

The cold wind blew around the group as Prince Roman stood, shivering slightly from the cold. Though he wore jeans, brown boots, and a large winter coat it seemed to help him little as he seemed to vibrate visibly in the chilly weather.

"It's bloody miserable up here." He managed a shaky glare at the Owl Lady, who returned his gaze with a look of boredom. "All this for a two-hundred snail suit? That blasted thing had better make me fly!"

Clawthrone chuckled. "Well, sorry Prince but my suit doesn't make you fly." She lounged, laying down on her seat and lifting her head to continue looking at him. "And, you'll be disappointed to know that I actually left it at my home."

The Prince stopped shaking and froze, mouth agape in shock. "You what?"

"Look, it's not important. You'll get your suit but after we ask you some questions." Eda shrugged lazily. "Besides, all this snow might've ruined it. That, and I didn't feel like carrying it all the way out here."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that. What in God's name has happened to your house? It... disappeared?"

"You must've misheard me. I said _we're_ asking the questions. Here's the first one: what kind of creature are you?"

"What in the heavens are you on about? I'm a creature of the Isles, same as you." He pulled back his hood, revealing pointed ears. "Ears are just as pointy as yours and your sisters."

"Hmm," went Lilith. "Luz here thinks you're not what you seem to be. She says she's... sensed something about you that she doesn't feel with other creatures. You're the only one who gives her that odd feeling."

"What of it?" He glanced at the teenager, who nodded in confirmation at him before speaking. "I feel like I know you? Like, there's some familiarity between us, despite the fact that I've met you only once before. I'm getting the same sort of vibe right now that I got then. Kinda like we're related... as weird as that sounds."

She pointed at his outfit. "Also, I don't think you're wearing any of that special lotion and I never saw you covering yourself much that day. Yet, you seem so much like me at the same time."

"You think me a vampire, child?"

"Maybe. Or you're something else, something similar. Otherwise, you'd be either dead or you would have fled the Isles a long time ago."

His eyes moved to each of the others in front of him. His expression was grim; he looked like a mouse that had been corned by a hungry cat.

"What's stopping me from turning you all in? Maybe earning myself a handsome reward from the Emperor's Coven?"

Eda snorted and shook her head. "A teenage vampire and her witch family who have no qualms about making you _fully_ dead?"

Prince Roman considered this. "Fair enough. Fine, you've caught me. I am not what I appear to be."

"Then, what are you? Are you a vampire?"

"No." He shook his head. "I was once a vampire long ago, but circumstances at the time required that I change my physiology, or flee. So, I chose to become a dhamphir." He flashed his pointed teeth as proof.

"I knew it!" Luz said. She was almost certain of what he was referring to but asked anyway. "What circumstances caused you to become like this?"

He met her eyes. "The very same you face now, I presume, but on a much greater scale. At least it was, before they finished their mission."

"Right. I know what you're talking about. The Emperor's orders... to kill all vampires. What happened to you?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but a chilly gust of wind shut him up and brought him back to shivering again. "Blasted cold! Someone cast a fire spell or something!"

Lilith frowned. "Why not do it yourself?"

"I cannot."

" _You can't_?"

"No! I'm... not from the Boiling Isles! I'm not a witch and I cannot perform magic like you two can!"

The three exchanged surprised looks before returning their gazes to Roman. "Then..." Eda questioned, "Where are you from?"

Prince Roman started as Lilith casted a fire spell, and made the flame magically float in the center of the group. It's warmth was a genuine relief from the icy cold that had pestered them before. Roman had finally stopped shivering, and had relaxed, settling down between Eda and Lilith.

"I... was once a full-fledged vampire. Before that, I was a human like you were Luz. And I was born on Earth."

He chuckled at their wide-eyed expressions. Luz practically shouted, "What!? No way that's true!"

"Oh, but it is young lady. In fact, you might have heard of me."

"Who are you?"

He grinned big like a child announcing an achievement to his parents. "My real name is _Radu cel Fromos_." He announced in a grand tone, only to receive silence in response. His wide grin faded.

It seemed he was hoping for a reaction. Instead, he'd received only more confusion on the faces of Luz, Lilith, and Eda who once again exchanged looks. He frowned when they finally spoke.

"Who?"

"Ruler of Wallachia for twelve years?"

"Huh?"

"A man of peace and intelligence? Famed for his beauty and love with Mehmet II?"

"Say what?"

Radu practically slapped his hand to his face, frustration filling his frame. He opened his fingers wide enough for his eyes to peer through, and spoke with a tentative, low voice. "Brother of... Vlad Dracula?" He said with a sigh.

He sighed when he saw the recognition fill their faces. Luz was first to speak, though she practically screamed it to all of the Isles. "YOU'RE DRACULA'S BROTHER?"

A frustrated growl escaped the man as he jumped to his feet, throwing his hands up in frustration. "DAMN IT ALL!" He roared. "Always focusing on my brother! Centuries have passed and I've hardly inched out of his blasted shadow!"

Once again he sighed, before returning his gaze to Luz, trying to temper the anger in his voice. " _Yes,_ child. I am Dracula's younger brother. The one nobody has heard of, unfortunately."

"Wow! That is so cool!" Luz beamed. "Wait, why not go stay with your brother and stay a full vampire instead of staying here?"

"You should really read a history book, child. Vlad wasn't very friendly to _anybody_ , and he hated me more than most. We butted heads back when we were human, and after we became vampires, our relationship has largely simmered into a sort of antagonistic rivalry. Whenever I spent time in the human world, he would send messages out to the humans that a monster was among them and they would attempt to kill me. I used to send packages with explosives inside of them to wherever he happened to be taking up residence at the time. That sort of thing." He shrugged. "Besides, the Boiling Isles is more interesting than Earth could ever be, fashion aside."

"Okay, okay we're getting off-track here." Lilith intervened. "Prince Ro- _Radu,_ since you have managed to convert your form into that of a dhamphir, could you tell us the way to do the same for Luz here?"

"It's faint. I did it so long ago I've almost forgotten. However, I do remember the necessary ingredients for the potion. I feel awful this poor child is being persecuted, so I'd be happy to help."

"It'll be in potion form?" Asked Luz.

"Indeed. Remember, no magic bile sac so I had to improvise. Potions were the best fit, and I wouldn't need anyone else's help so long as I gathered the right materials. Speaking of...."

He raised his hand and counted each of the items. "It's three components: a fair amount of both human DNA and vampire DNA, and abomination goo saturated with extremely powerful magic."

"Why abomination goo?"

"Think of it as something that can mix the two together and bind them. Sort of. I tried other materials that I had around but they were... unsuccessful. I had a test subject in the form of a plant, and it ended up growing large human arms with vampire strength, and punched me in the face. The potion was incomplete so it wore off before long, but not before I had a few bruises and a bloody nose."

Luz tapped her thumb to her chin. "Well, there's plenty of stuff with human DNA at the Owl House. What about vampire DNA?"

"Remember you will need quite a bit for it to work. No simple strand of hair will work, you will need something with more... _material."_

The Owl Lady spoke up from her seat, her eyes now glowing a little with interest. "That's not a problem. The night she became a vampire she bled all over my good table. I threw it in the shed and forgot to cast a spell to fix it, so that should suffice. I'll cast a spell to remove the blood and add it to the cauldron. What about vampire DNA?"

"Blood should suffice, just like the human blood. You'll need quite a bit of that as well."

"You mean I have to bleed into a cup or something, add it to a cauldron and then drink it?"

"Yes."

"Gross. But, I'll do whatever it takes to save myself and my family."

"Good. All that's left is the abomination goo, saturated with extremely powerful magic. I'm sure either one of these lovely ladies could produce an abomination suitable enough for the task."

Luz's famous smile grew onto her face. For the first time in a long time, she actually felt _good._ They were finally about to get out of the mess she'd caused. Soon, she'll be able to see her friends and go back to Hexside.

At least, that's what she had to hope for.

"Alright!" She clapped her hands together, donning a look of pure determination. "Let's get started."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Might start looking for someone to proofread chapters, most likely for the incoming Eda fic. Frankly, I hate having to reread everything and will gladly have someone else do it for me. I'd need them to look for any mistakes in the chapter itself, and make sure the logic checks out (like if I'm forgetting something that's important. I'm trying my best to avoid plot holes). Chapters will likely be longer as this story finishes and most likely in the next fic as well, so I'm willing to offer payment for whoever is willing to read my crap, lol (it will NOT be much, maybe 5USD at most, and only if you want it). And I'll add you to co-creators as well. If anyone's interested, let me know.
> 
> (And, there wouldn't be any problems with me doing that, right? Are there sight rules prohibiting that? I'll check but I'm trying to stay out of trouble here.)
> 
> Anyways, YES! I've finally revealed who Roman really is. I had this idea way back and thought "Why not get Luz to have help from Dracula's unpopular brother?" I don't know why I did it, but I stuck with it. Thx for reading and expect the next chapter sooner than later.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Started rereading it for errors. Got halfway through and was like, eh, I just finished this. It's alright.
> 
> I still need a beta reader if anyone's interested. I had one person who said they were interested but haven't been able to get in contact with them :/.

Normally, Luz loved to be outside in the Boiling Isles. The air, the trees, even the roaring monsters in the distance; she had really fallen in love with this world of wonder and magic. This time however, she felt nervous like she were a child heading to his doctor's appointment, waiting with growing anxiety for the shot they were scheduled to have that day.

Luz's hand glided over the band-aid that covered where Eda had drained some of her blood earlier that morning, in preparation for the potion that would save Luz's life and hopefully end theirs as fugitives. Prince Radu was present as Luz gave her blood, advising Eda on the amount that she needed to take in order for the potion to work properly. By the time he had given her the go ahead to finish, Luz was tired and had imagined herself as being a drained Capri-sun. They took so much blood that the glass Eda had used to store it had reminded her of the apple blood the witch would drink to start her mornings.

Radu was friendly enough. He wasn't very pleased to have come all the way to the Knee without getting that special suit from Eda yesterday, but he had become more light-hearted since he'd came to the Owl House this morning. He was always polite, got along with King and was surprisingly nice to Hooty _(nobody_ is nice to Hooty). He and Lilith, being more formal and having enjoyed the higher levels of society, chatted about balls and events they'd attended in the past, laughed at each others stories and genuinely enjoyed each other's company. The stories made Eda gag and groan, but even she seemed to like Radu despite her general dislike of people of his status. One would think she only tolerated his presence for the snails, but she got along with him just as well as everyone else.

After having her blood taken, Luz had to come up with the human part of the potion. She was thankful that this process was painless, but unfortunately it was just as gross. 

Eda had swung her staff. Her old table, ruined the night Luz had died, was covered in her old dried blood. With Eda's spell, the teenager watched in bewilderment as the dried liquid came to life, lifting from the old wood and into a glass bottle of Eda's. She handed the bottle to Radu, who narrowed his eyes as he inspected it. "This might be suitable, but I would throw in an old toothbrush or something similar to be certain."

"Gross!"

"Oh quit complaining kiddo. The abomination goo will likely dissolve it anyhow; you won't even taste it."

* * *

That brought them to the abomination goo saturated with powerful magic. And where it was smooth sailing before, it was here where the seas had become murky and difficult to navigate.

Radu had explained, "Just before I became what I am today, I procured some abomination essence from the aftermath of a witch's duel, and used it in my potion. With Eda and Lilith here, we should have the capability to produce powerful abomination magic that is necessary for the potion."

They then stepped outside of the hideout, into the forest. The cool autumn air blew around them as the two witches prepared to cast what would be the most powerful abomination spell that they could muster.

"It's been a while since I've used abomination magic. Never thought I'd actually be using it inside of a potion, though." Eda readied her staff, Owlbert's eyes glowing and ready to cast.

"Let's just do this quickly, Edalyn." The fatigue in Lilith's voice was clear. She was tired of living in hiding, being unable to buy new clothes or food without the fear of having her head chopped off. The sooner they got Luz out of this bind, the sooner things may just return to something resembling normal.

"I'll go first, then." Eda pointed her staff towards a patch of grass. A pink spell circle was drawn in the dirt, and once it was finished it shined. The groaning, purple creature known as the abomination slowly arose from the ground, emerging nearly as tall as an average house. Since Eda wasn't using it for combat or distraction purposes like when she would perform her famous pickpockets, she simply willed the abomination to hold still, it's form dripping its goo onto the grass below.

"I've brought an instrument from home that I will use to test how powerful the magic is. For our potion to work as we wish it to, it needs to be at or above a certain threshold." In his hands, he'd held a small device that resembled a thermometer from the human realm. It was gray in color, and the liquid inside of it was colored black. It's scale was engraved with red letters, in a language known only to witches who'd practiced potion magic in the past. 

Radu proceeded to approach the large abomination, who sat motionlessly in the wind. He simply stuck his device inside of the creature's leg, and it sunk inside with ease. He waited a moment for the device to take the measurement. He retrieved it, looked down and then proceeded to shake his head.

"Hmm. Eda it seems that this abomination will not do. It isn't powerful enough."

"What? Oh come on, that should be more than enough!"

"It isn't. Maybe it has something to do with your curse? You did say the two of your are not as strong as you used to be."

"Yeah but-"

Lilith's chuckling cut her off. "Well, Edalyn. It seems I just might have you beat here."

The Owl Lady's eyes rolled. "I'd like to see you do better, Lily."

"I intend to." With her own staff summoned, Lilith went through the same process as Eda. Another rather large abomination stood at a similar size to Edalyn's, though to her chagrin Lilith's was indeed a little taller and was holding up better than hers was.

Radu repeated the same process. He removed his testing device from Lilith's abomination. The older Clawthorne had expected a small victory over her younger, generally more-powerful sister.

"Nope. Same situation here as well." Radu made a "tsk" sound. Lilith almost wanted to punch him for it. "Your abomination isn't powerful enough either."

"You have got to be kidding me." Lilith groaned.

"I'm not. Your abomination is constructed better. It's magical content is slightly greater, but I do not believe it is sufficient for the potion."

"So what do we do?" Luz questioned the Radu.

"The two could form an abomination together, but frankly, at their current levels of power I doubt it would meet our requirements. They would get painfully close, but it just wouldn't be enough."

They needed more power. Luz and Lilith were some of the most powerful witches on the Island, even after the curse had weakened them. How were they going to get the abomination they needed, if not from them?

Unless...

"Do you know who participated in that witch's duel?"

"Ah. I think a Blight must have been involved. Their family specializes in this type of magic. Shame there aren't any on the wrong side of the law. Have an idea, Luz?"

"Yeah. I know someone who might be able to help us.

* * *

Luz continued to walk her way through the forest in silence. Moments later, she'd arrived in the spot that she had set up, and she leaned against a tree as she waited for her to arrive. 

It wasn't a warm day in the slightest. Her palms were sweaty regardless. She waited nervously; she'd hoped that the youngest Blight would be able to provide her with what she'd needed. Radu had even given her his device to test any abominations that Amity made. 

She thought for a moment. How ironic. Amity had gotten her to the Owl House when she was bleeding to death. She was there when Luz woke as a vampire. Amity was there to help Luz get accustomed to her new powers. And, if Amity could provide what she'd needed, Amity would be the one who was instrumental in bring Luz back to life as a part-human.

Well, half-life. Half-dead? Whatever.

She didn't have to wait very long. Walking in the distance, she saw her. Wearing casual clothes, Amity's head was on a swivel as she searched for Luz. She carried with her a small yellow bag, containing her training wand that she should be using in a moment.

"Amity!" The young Blight's eyes snapped to the voice, and a smile grew on her lips. She broke out into a run, bounding rapidly towards the giggling vampire. So overjoyed to finally see her, Amity paid no mind to the terrain which was littered with small holes, rocks and the exposed roots of the nearby trees. She only cared about running, only cared about getting to the vampire so she could tackle her in the tightest hug she could manage.

That is, before she tripped and fell just before she got to Luz, landing with an audible "oof."

"Amity! You okay?" The teenager helped her get off the ground, wiping dirt off her outfit and handing her the bag. 

"Yeah." Amity checked for anything else on her outfit. Once she was sure she was clear, she looked up and her eyes locked onto Luz's. Weeks with little contact, fear mixing with the desire to hold the teenager tight and never let go all the while, and right in front of her stood the object of her affections, smile and all.

Luz squeaked when Amity nearly crushed her into a hug, burying her face into her chest. "You had me worried you idiot! Don't you ever scare me like that again! You told me you would stay in contact!"

Amity squeezed her as she felt Luz's own arms wrap around her, pulling her into Luz's chest. She was nearly in tears, but she couldn't figure out if it was more from the relief or joy. Likely an acute mix of both.

"Sorry, Amity. Believe me, I wanted to see you more than anything. But, hey, we've found someone who's going to help me get back to normal!"

Luz gently tried to push Amity away, just so she could look at her as she explained. But Amity tightened her grip and yanked Luz right back to her. "We're staying _just like this._ I am _not_ letting you do until I'm ready. Also, it's kind of cold. You said you needed me to cast some abomination magic, right? What for?" Amity's voice was muffled a little due to their proximity, making Luz chuckle.

She explained everything to her, stifling laughs as Amity nodded and her hair tickled her. She explained the battle at the Owl House, their escape, her near capture at the market, seeing the Bat Queen and then meeting up with Radu.

"So we're creating a potion that should hopefully make me half-human, half-vampire. According to Radu, I'll pretty much be human again. I can go outside with no lotion or cover, I can eat normal food again if I choose, and I won't be able to absorb as much power from other witches! Everything should go back to normal!"

Amity frowned, and finally picked her head up off of Luz, their eyes meeting once again. "How are things going to go back to normal?"

"Well, if I'm no longer a full-vampire then there's no need to hunt me down. The Emperor will have no reason to capture me!"

"Luz. I don't think that Just because you become a dhamphir doesn't mean that the Emperor will just _give_ _up_ and let you all go scot-free. You still assaulted him and live in a family of fugitives of the law. He won't just let you go."

Luz shook her head. "Then, we'll have to find a reason for him to leave us alone."

"And what reason will that be?"

That question had no answer from Luz. Amity was right. There really wasn't a way for the Emperor to call off the Hunters and relax the security around the city once she becomes a dhamphir. They needed something to compel the Emperor to leave them be, at least for the time being. But how could they do that? How would they be able to make the most powerful witch in the Boiling Isles bend to their will?

"I don't know. But if we can pull this off, I'm sure we'll be able to find a way to get the Emperor off our back. Speaking of..."

:uz detached herself from the Blight's grasp, much to her chagrin. "I need you to cast the most powerful abomination spell that you can muster. You're a Blight whose family specializes in this form of magic, and you're already a powerful witch in your own right. I'll take a sample and bring it back to the Owl House, combine it with the other ingredients, and boom, I'm mostly human again!"

"Luz, you know I'd be more than happy to help but I don't know if I'm powerful enough for what you need." She nervously brought one of her arms to the other, crossing it over her body. "What are you going to do if I can't make it."

"I have faith in you, Amity. And, if the unlikely happens, I'll improvise. We both know that's one of my strengths."

Amity nodded, still uncertain. "Okay. Give me a little space."

Retrieving her training wand, Amity pointed it to a patch of grass in an open area. She concentrated, drawing all the magic she could muster and condensing it. Her wand glowed as she used it to draw the circle. "Abomination, rise!"

The corresponding circle in the ground shined, and out came Amity's abomination. A shadow grew, resting over the two young witches as a massive abomination, easily dwarfing both Eda's and Lilith's, rose in size and quickly towered over the forest. It's moan was so loud it echoed, and drops that held a tiny piece of its essence landed in the surrounding trees and grass, large enough to make the tree branches groan under their weight.

"Woah." Went the two witches. Amity was amazed at the behemoth she'd summoned, but it was not without consequence. The beast had easily knocked out most of her magical reserves, and at it's current size, maintaining it was rapidly draining the rest of her magical reserves. She couldn't keep this up for long, a few minutes at the most, so Luz had to be quick. 

Luz seemed to sense that this monster was draining Amity as if she were a battery, because she was quick to get out the testing device and carefully approached the abomination. She got to it's heel, inserted the device, and waited a moment.

The fluid in the device first did not move much. Then, it rapidly shot up like a rocket. Luz eyed the point on the device that Radu had marked, the point that meant it had just enough magic to be useful in the potion.

The liquid rose and rose and rose. The distance between the desired level and it close.

To Luz's worry, the rapid ascent began to slow. And it slowed and slowed, more and more.

"Come on! A little bit more." Luz looked back to Amity, who was visibly shaking from the draining effect on her magic. She wouldn't hold out like this for very long; she'd collapse if she didn't finish.

To add to her worry, the fluid had slowed greatly now. It still edged towards the goal but what was once a sprint had slowed to a lethargic walk. Before long, it had slowed to a lazy limp. Then, the fluid crawled, now so close to the mark Luz was nearly shaking as bad as Amity was.

It finally stopped, just millimeters below the goal.

Luz hung her head and sighed in utter disappointment.

 _So damn close._

She removed her device, and walked over to her girlfriend, sad eyes falling on her. "Amity, you can release the abomination."

"Okay. But, we need to get somewhere high up."

Once Luz and Amity gained some distance and found a nearby hill that overlooked the area where they summoned the abomination, Amity finally released the spell. The abomination disintegrated instantly, it's liquid falling and raining down into the forest. A flash flood of abomination goo had started and coated the area in the stuff, getting all over the trees, bushes, and everything in the area.

Amity panted loudly, exhausted. She hadn't seen Luz's face yet. "Don't worry about the goo. It'll disintegrate before too long. Anyways, did that do the trick?"

Luz held up the device. "We were so close. But it wasn't enough."

"Oh my gosh." Tears welled in the Blight's eyes as she realized her failure. "I'm so sorry! If I had just held it up a little longer...!"

Luz gave her a smile. "You did your best. For me. Thank you Amity. We'll just have to figure something else out like I said."

"Yeah, but-" Amity froze, her eyes locked onto something behind Luz.

"Amity?"

It couldn't be. No way that she made her way all the way out here, Amity thought. But as the witch question was riding on a palisman and getting larger by the second. 

Green hair, just like her mothers.

No no no no no. She can't see Luz! If she knows about the bounty, Luz could be in danger!

She scrambled to her feet, and pushed Luz in the direction of some trees nearby. The confused Luz protested the sudden rough treatment. "Amity what are you doing!"

"Hide! That's my mother! And she's coming this way!"

"What?! How did she find you?"

"I don't know! Maybe she saw the abomination or something! Maybe she was nearby?! Whatever, just get behind a tree and hide!"

* * *

Odalia Blight came to a half on her palisman a short distance from Luz and Amity's hiding place. They watched her anxiously as she surveryed the forest, and seemed to note the rapidly disappearing remains of the towering abomination that dominated the landscape moments ago. She hovered just above the ground on her palisman, low enough to get off but she never made a move to.

"Amity Blight!" Called her haughty voice, tinted with annoyance. "I know that you are out here somewhere! Emerge from behind those dirty trees and come home."

Luz's looked at Amity, but the young Blight shook her head. "She must've seen the abomination and came to investigate."

Her mother called out as if on cue. "I _know_ you're here, young lady. Few people are capable of abominations that large or powerful. I want you home, we have surprise guests at the manor and I want you to be there."

Amity stopped herself from scoffing. "Figures." Luz eyed her, and then glared at Amity's mother. "I guess that explains why she wants you back."

"Yep. Mother of the year. She definitely saw my abomination and probably wants me to show her guest all the other cool tricks I know. Why did I have to be born into such a prestigious family with their heads so far up their asses?"

Luz froze. Her mind circled back to her Odalia Blight's words.

 _Few people are capable of abominations that large or powerful._ And now, Luz had an idea.

"Amity. We might just be able to get what we need after all?"

"How?"

Luz brought a hand to Amity's ear and whispered to her the plan she had formed.

* * *

Arms crossed and large frown on her face, Odalia Blight was growing more and more impatient and irritated. "I'm tired of waiting for you child. Cease this incessant game you're playing and come out!"

Amity thought, _As you wish._

She emerged from the trees. Odalia's eyes locked onto her. Amity walked out slowly, a bright flame threateningly close to her face. Luz was behind her, only it didn't look like Luz. Amity had used a spell she'd learned from her prankster siblings to disguise her as a random denizen who was threatening her. Her mother specialized in abomination magic, like her, so hopefully she wouldn't be able to quickly see through the spell. Luz was holding the flames to Amity's face, careful not to actually burn her but close enough to be threatening. Luz then activated a plant glyph, which binded Amity's hands and legs, preventing her from making spells with her free limbs.

Odalia's hands fell to her lap. She simply stared at the sight before her as Luz put on her performance.

"You!" She tried to put on her most threatening voice. It was now deepened and much more intimidating than her previous one. "Blight! I've got your daughter! Give me money or your brat gets it!"

Most parents by this point would be greatly concerned for their child's safety, and be willing to comply in order to guarantee that safety. Odalia Blight did not speak, did not move. Instead, her eyes slowly moved from the disguised Luz to her hostage daughter, who was trying to appear a little nervous.

"Well," Odalia said. "Seems you've gotten yourself into some trouble, Amity."

What the hell? Luz had to maintain her glare, but she was shocked. Didn't Odalia care about her child?

Odalia continued, "What are you waiting for? You're a Blight, aren't you? Dispose of him."

"Mom! I can't get away from him! You have to do something!"

"I will do not be doing _anything._ You will be getting yourself out of this mess!"

"Mom, he could kill me!"

"You are a _Blight,_ child. Do something about it, for Titan's sake! Or are you undeserving of our family name, hmm?"

Luz felt sick to her stomach. This was how Amity's mother treated her children? Her own daughter? She'd hate to meet the father then. They must be a pair of true monsters. 

"You're about to lose your kid! Better do something quick!" Luz tried to get Odalia to snap but she held her ground.

They continued like this for a few moments. Luz threatening Amity, who begged her mother to help her, only for her mother to goad her into attacking instead of trying to save her own child. After a few moments, Amity couldn't help but sigh at her mothers actions. Luz's blood was starting to boil, on the other hand.

Odalia sighed, growing impatient once more. "Anytime now, Amity."

Luz started to snap. "You! Don't you care at all about your kid?"

"Do not fling your spit at me, peasant."

"I'm gonna fry your kid's face and you're not gonna lift a finger to stop me."

Luz was nearing her limit. What kind of bitch mother would do this to her child?

Odalia said the words that broke the dam. "If she can't get herself away from a weakling such as yourself, she _deserves_ to be burned."

"ARRGH!"

Luz let the flame fizzle out, and let her anger overtake her. She got from behind Amity and charged at Odalia, rage consuming her. Odalia's expression turned blank, almost like she were bored. Luz never got close.

With a loud smack, Luz was sent crashing into a nearby tree. The fist of a perfectly-constructed and maintained abomination had been the one that had put her there, before it fell apart. She landed on the ground nearby, groaning, her stomach racked with pain. Amity stared at her mouth agape, fearful of her condition. But she knew if she tried to help her while Odalia was watching, she might become suspicious. 

Odalia shook her head. " _Pathetic."_

Luz heard Amity's mother, but was unsure if she was referring to Luz herself or Amity. Odalia continued, "Come, child. We have guests." And just like that, Odalia had essentially forgotten all about it.

"Yes, mother." Odalia spun her palisman around, back in the direction she came. Amity started toward her, but she looked back at Luz. The teen had crawled to some abominations sludge from the now-deformed, and was already having it tested. Luz mouthed 'I'm okay' to her, relieving her, before she turned her attention back to the device.

As Amity got onto the palisman with her mother who prepared to take off, she turned back one more time. She was met with the smiling Luz, who gave her a thumbs up and flashed her the result.

In just that one abomination hand that was a fraction of the size of Amity's, it contained _more_ than enough power than what they'd needed. Luz was glad Odalia didn't see the need to show the two young witches the abomination that she was truly capable of.

Amity smiled and mouthed a triumphant 'YES' to Luz, before giving a shy wave goodbye. Luz returned it as Amity and her mother took off, disappearing into the distance.

Luz fetched her own bag that was still in their hiding spot, and produce a jar that would preserve the abomination goo. She gathered as much of it as she could, and thankfully, there was still enough hanging around for her to do so.

She stared at it and produced a wide, joyous smile.

This was the key to solving her problem. And it was finally in her hands.

She heard a hoot. Turning her attention to a tree branch above her, she caught sight of two owls.

One that looked like a normal brown owl. The other had mismatched eyes.

"Thanks for not stepping in, Eda. We might've been screwed if you had stopped her."

Eda released the spell that made her appear as an Owl. She jumped to the ground below her, with Owlbert landing on her shoulder. "Yeah, well I've got a score to settle with that woman anyhow. Guess I'll just have to wait a little longer."

Eda eyed Luz's prize, then clamped a hand onto her shoulder. "Nice job, kid. Let's get back to the Owl House."

"Yeah, let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Amity's mom's a bitch. But we knew this already.
> 
> Speaking of, I check the episode where she made an appearance and couldn't really tell if she practiced abominations or not. Or, to be more accurate I was 100%, so I took some liberty here and simply said she does. Hopefully that won't be a problem, and it shouldn't be so I'm not worried.
> 
> Thanks again for watching and please, let me know your thoughts below. I'm dying to see what you guys are thinking of how things are ending up!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol. On Instagram I see artists in this fandom talking about how they can't write but can draw pretty damn good.
> 
> And yeah, they can. While I'm sitting over here thinking, "Well, I can't draw for shit but my writing is... acceptable."
> 
> Just thought it was funny. Some days I wonder how the hell I ever got anywhere with writing. All I remember is that I started once and technically, I never stopped. Maybe that's all there is to it.
> 
> Anyways, follow me on Instagram @ marco.marcoJ601, if you like. I haven't posted anything yet, but with future releases that's where I hope to make the effort to post updates on chapters and whatnot.
> 
> And maybe art when I'm decent enough at it. We'll see. I have a few ideas for joke Owl House comics... just have to bring em to life one day.
> 
> Last but not least, I have found myself two beta readers! Thank you, Lexa_Alycia and CodeNora for your help. I noticed all the mistakes I had made and would not have caught without either of your help! Some were the fault of writing a chapter at two in the morning and others were genuinely my fault and clear examples of areas I need to improve in. 
> 
> Which is exactly why I write today. Because it's fun as hell to tell a story and I get to always improve my work. Once again, thank you to my two beta readers and I hope to keep working with you two!
> 
> Anyhow, this is it! The final chapters! And, I know exactly how I will end this story (well, I always did but now I know the specific details. It's all planned so you will see what happens soon enough!)

"I take it you aren't here to bring me news of the vampire's capture?"

Kikimora shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. She had grown to hate this part of the day, having to report to Belos that the efforts of the Emperor's Coven, and by extension hers, had been fruitless. She was the sole one who had to face the Emperor and tell him repeatedly that his minions had failed.

"That is correct, my lord."

With an exasperated sigh, the Emperor rested his head on his hand, blue eyes narrowed in irritation. "I grow tired of these failures. How difficult is it to locate a _house,_ Kikimora? Especially one with an infernal house demon?"

"My lord, we have scoured every inch of the island. We've even gone out into the sea, searching high in the skies. We are making a considerable effort to apprehend the vampire."

"And yet, you've turned up nothing," he spat coldly.

Kikimora sometimes wished someone else had to bear the brunt of the Emperor's anger. She was growing more fearful with each report. However, she wasn't finished yet.

"There's something you should know, my lord. The citizens... they're starting to become impatient and are asking questions."

"Hmm. Inform them we're searching for a highly-dangerous fugitive, it's most certainly not a lie."

"Of course. But, with the heightened security and guards in nearly every corner of the city, many are getting tired of the increased surveillance. The citizens are growing more restless as this search continues."

The loud thud of the Emperor's staff on the floor echoed across the room, making Kikimora jump. "I care _little_ for the citizen's concerns at the moment, Kikimora. Unless you are telling me there are signs of rebellion, there is nothing to worry about. Tell them we will ease our security as soon as the fugitives are captured."

"Yes, my lord."

"What have the Hunters been doing as of late?"

"They have been aiding in the search, my lord. They are certainly more capable than the average soldier; however, they have also failed to locate any signs of the Owl House's whereabouts. They are also still recovering from the Bat Queen's ambush."

The Emperor shook his head. "Damned overgrown palisman. Once this matter is resolved, she will one day face my judgement. It's time that I finally step in and end this search."

Kikimora's yellow eyes grew wide. "What are you to do, Emperor Belos?"

The Emperor chuckled, the chilling sound filling the room. "This coven system of mine comes with rather... _convenient_ perks, Kikimora. This spell I'm going to cast will be rather costly, so be sure to have my _meals_ ready at a moment's notice."

"Yes sir."

"Now then," He rose to his feet, staff in hand. He would be vulnerable for some time, even after his meals. However it was necessary. He had to remove any threats to his rule, at any and all costs.

"It's time I opened all my citizen's eyes."

* * *

Lilith was the happiest she had been in weeks. She walked through the market with a spring in her step, wearing a smile on her face to replace the scowl she usually wore when she was out. 

For the first time in a long time, it was a good day. Luz had obtained all the necessary ingredients for the potion that would rid her of her vampirism. Luz would still be a target, but with her regaining some of her humanity, hopefully the Emperor would turn his attention away from them. Or, at the very least, pursue them less aggressively.

"I'll take these apples, please." She couldn't help but feel elated.

She overheard a conversation at a nearby booth, one that caught her attention. "... it was like I was freaking possessed or something man," A nearby beetle-like creature finished saying to another shopper, a male centaur with brown fur. "It was so spooky, and I could tell that someone was seeing what I was seeing, hearing what I was hearing!"

 _Interesting_ , thought Lilith. _Sense-hijacking spells like that aren't easy, and they require you to mark someone in order to lessen the strain on your body._

"What, you gonna tell me he was actually in your head?" Asked the unconvinced centaur, shaking his head incredulously. "You sure you didn't have too much to drink?"

"I-I wasn't drunk, asshole! Someone somewhere had obviously cast some kind of powerful spell on me, and all I know is that someone hijacked my senses for like three seconds, and then they vanished."

Lilith took her items. The two denizens wrapped up their conversation and parted ways, but the mystery of it all lingered with Lilith. Someone really powerful had decided to hijack that man's senses... but for what purpose? He didn't seem all that special...

 _Well,_ she thought, _it's_ his _problem to deal with. I've got my own._

She proceeded to continue on her way through the market, which was growing more busy as morning began to turn to afternoon. She couldn't help but overhear the conversations of the other shoppers. 

Lilith couldn't help but notice a pattern.

One demon had said, "Felt like a ghost had jumped into my body, but only proceeded to sit there for like a second, then it was gone."

A fairy cried, "I was so scared! I thought it was going to control my body!"

"Some real kinky shit happened to me! Too bad it left before I could really enjoy myself." 

At that last comment, Lilith wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Her suspicion bubbled up inside her as she continued to hear more of the same from many different creatures. The people who had fallen victim to this spell had likely numbered in the dozens now, maybe more, and they all said that they were only under the spell for a few seconds at the most. Then, whoever cast the spell released it on them and left them alone.

Sounds like someone looking for something. Or, someone.

Whatever the case, Lilith didn't feel too comfortable in the open market while someone was clearly conducting a highly invasive and illegal search. And, somehow they had managed to mark dozens of people in order to do so. It was time to head back to the Owl House anyway, the preparations should be nearly finished by now.

Even as she headed back, the feeling that something bad was on the horizon was unshakeable. She didn't like it.

* * *

"Rat's tail?"

"Check."

"Gorgon tooth?"

"Check."

"S-strawberry flavoring?"

Luz looked meekly at Eda, who she'd asked to make sure that all of the ingredients needed for the potion were added into the cauldron. Luz was _not_ looking forward to having to drink it, so she thought maybe she could add something to soften the punch. "I like strawberries...?"

Eda raised an eyebrow. "How do you know it's not going to ruin the potion?"

"Radu said he added blueberries to his, since he didn't have flavoring when he did it."

Eda couldn't help but smirk. "Trust me, kid, nothing's going to take the edge off the potion when you finally drink it. The trick is to just gulp it down as quickly as you can, so you have a head start on fighting the immediate urge to vomit."

Luz winced.

" _Sounds great_."

They continued down the list. Sitting in the boiling cauldron that Eda had brought in was a liquid that was mostly red in color, thanks in no small part to Luz's different blood samples. In addition, there were multiple ingredients dropped as part of routine potion-making, with the added effect of making Luz gag. They were mostly done, and with Radu's approval, all that was left was to allow the potion to sit outside for the required twelve hours.

The man himself walked into the room, wearing another extravagant outfit with brilliant colors. "How are things coming along? Let me have a look."

He peered into the crimson pool. "Hmm. Smells repugnant. Means you're on the right track."

"Great. So, are we ready to move this thing outside?"

"Soon. And, remember, it must sit in the sunlight for most of the day before the potion can be consumed."

"Alright." Eda turned her attention to Luz, who was still eyeing the cauldron. Her expression was a mix of anxiety and anticipation, likely because she was excited about being human again, but probably wasn't looking forward to actually taking the potion.

Not that Eda could blame her. She tried to cheer her up either way. "You ready, kid? Once the hard part's over, you'll be regular ol' human Luz."

Luz smiled, but it was tinted with nervousness. "Yeah," She turned to Radu. "What will happen to me once I drink the potion?"

"Well, as long as you have no allergic reactions and the process is completely successfully, the change should be swift. Your body will tingle for a few seconds, and you will be a little disoriented. That's normal so don't be alarmed. Then, your fangs will shrink somewhat as your physical capabilities will diminish. The process is largely painless thanks to the ingredients but, it's still uncomfortable. Then, you'll become a dhamphir. You'll be able to enjoy normal food, let the sunlight hit your skin unprotected, and you'll be human again, for the most part. However, the potion won't _completely_ remove your vampire DNA."

He immediately regretted wording his sentence like that. Luz's eyes grew wide in worry as Eda leveled him with a severe glare. "What?! You don't mean to tell me that we're going through all this trouble just for her to still be in danger, right?"

"No!" Radu put his hands up defensively. "It's just that while she won't be a full-vampire, she'll still be... well, _beyond_ human. She'll be stronger than average humans, have better reflexes and senses, things of that nature. Luz just won't be to the level of a vampire. She'll be completely safe! I mean, I've survived here for this long without getting skewered!"

He relaxed as he saw the two deflate in relief. "Good. If we're going through all this trouble just for this to not work, or you're setting us up or something, you're not getting your suit."

"Eda..."

"And I'll feed you to Hooty."

"You've known me for years. Besides, I know better than to offend the Owl Ladies in their own home!"

"Huh," Eda hummed. "So that's what they're calling us now."

Eda and Radu, the latter now relieved he wouldn't become house-demon food, continued their conversation while Luz found herself in her head, her mind racing.

Today, or most likely tonight, would be the night that she would no longer be a vampire. It would be nice to be human again, to eat normal food (or as normal as the Boiling Isles could get) and be in the sun again, but, she was going to miss being so fast and strong. She would never have been able to do these things had she remained a human. It was nice to be able to be as strong as Eda was, at least in terms of physical capabilities.

Then her mind flashed back to how she ended up like this. It seemed so long ago now, but she remembered the night vividly. How could she forget?

Luz was attacked, and died surrounded by Amity and her family. Then she was brought back to life as a creature of the night. And it was all her fault.

When everyone else found out about what had happened to her, The members of the Owl House were targeted and attacked. All of the people she cared about paid the price for Luz's reckless actions.

She'd vowed that she would never act like a stupid child again. Since then, she'd kept her promises, and now she nearly out of the woods.

Nearly.

Luz had assaulted the Emperor not long ago. Eda had been a fugitive for years, and Lilith had betrayed the Emperor. Once he found out that she was no longer capable of threatening his rule as a true-vampire, he would likely not be deterred in his effort to capture them. They were all still fugitives, and unless they had something to keep the Emperor at bay then he would continue to hunt them down.

But, what could they use to stop the most powerful witch in the Boiling Isles from arresting them? Well, that was the million-dollar question.

The front door opened and closed. Lilith walked in, carrying her haul from the market. "Ah," She set her bags down by the door. "Good Morning Edalyn, Radu, and Luz. Where's King?"

"Still asleep in Luz's room." Eda waved a hand. "Did you bring me my drink?"

Lilith shook her head. "No, Edalyn, they didn't have it. Said they were out of stock."

Eda sighed. "Figures."

"You can't possibly be thinking of drinking right now, right?"

"What? Come on, Lily! You know I only day drink on Fridays!"

Lilith picked up her bags and squeezed past her sister, fighting the urge to scold her. She placed theitems on the table, then eyed the cauldron before taking a seat. "Is the potion ready?"

"Almost," Replied Radu. "It's about time we placed it outside in the sun."

Lilith nodded. "Good. There's something suspicious going on at the market. We should really get a move on with this potion, and we'll likely need to prepare."

This caught everyone's attention. "What's going on at the market?" Luz questioned.

Lilith pressed her lips before answering.

"A better question would be 'what's going on in the city?' Apparently, someone's casting a spell to look through the eyes of the Bonesborough residents."

Raising an eyebrow, Eda leaned onto the table, next to Lilith. "A sense-hijacking spell, huh?"

"Indeed. Only, it seems that whoever is casting it has somehow managed to mark at least a few dozen of the city's citizens in order to cast the spell, all without them ever finding out. According to the citizens, someone takes control over their vision, seeing what they see, and then who ever casted the spell vanishes. I can't help but wonder how they managed to mark all those different people, though."

Eda shrugged. "Beats me. What's more interesting is that it sounds like they managed cast the spell on more experienced witches. And whoever it is, they certainly don't give a damn about privacy. What a dick."

"Guys," Luz said, "I think it could be the Emperor trying to find us again." That feeling of anxiety began to creep in on her again.

Lilith nodded, less nervous than Luz but still concerned. "I agree. He's one of the few witches with enough power to cast that spell multiple times without completely draining himself."

"True but there could always be someone else. There are some real powerful witches running around the Isles, present-company included of course. Frankly, it's a good thing that spell lacks precision and they have to search randomly in order to find whatever they're looking for. It'll buy us some time."

Lilith got to her feet, putting a thumb onto her chin as she thought. "I believe it is likely the Emperor as he is the one with the most incentive to find us."

Eda shrugged and crossed her arms. "Maybe. Either way, I say we perform a ward spell on the Owl House before whoever it is manages to lock onto one of us."

"Well," Radu had moved over to the cauldron. He had just finished his final inspection of the potion before he called out to them. "Let's get this cauldron outside before you cast the ward spell."

* * *

The gang had all returned to the kitchen, having placed the cauldron outside underneath a fire. King had woken up by this point, and had been placed by Luz in his high chair, but not before she peppered him with affectionate kisses. After fighting her off, he demanded his breakfast and after Eda made him say _please_ he was served pancakes, which he happily munched on while everyone talked.

They paid little mind to Radu, who was searching the cupboards....

"So, Luz. I'm sure you'll be happy to see those goofy little friends of yours. What were their names again? Willy and Goose?"

"Eda!" Cried Luz indignantly. "Their names are Willow and Gus!"

Snorting, Eda grinned as Luz pouted. "Sorry, kid. Ooh, I bet you'll be really happy to see that girlfriend of yours. She's a Blight, isn't she?"

"Yes she is."

"Ah. Never liked the Blights. Odalia and I used to always get into scuffles back in Hexside. She was great at spell casting but she was a lousy fighter!" She continued to laugh.

"Edalyn, we need to focus," Lilith was unamused. "Let's get this ward up already."

Eda turned to face her sister, whose back was to Radu, still rummaging in the cupboards. "Oh, would you relax Lily? Do you know how many people are on this dump?" Eda waved a hand. "We'll be just fine!" 

Eda tilted her head, finally noticing the Prince. "Hey, you looking for something back there? Could ya cut it out? It's rude to go through someone's stuff like that!"

The Prince froze in place, the utensils in his hands falling and clinking as they landed on the floor. The Prince was motionless, not making a sound. 

"You alright, Radu?" Concerned, Luz got up and made her way towards him, his back still turned to her.

He slowly turned his head to her, and Luz gasped.

Instead of dark brown, Radu's eyes were a haunting deep blue now, just like the Emperor's.

In a flash, he lashed out at her. Luz jumped out of the way just in time, landing close to Lilith who now had her staff summoned and pointed at the Prince. Luz's eyes fell to where she had been standing previously, only to find knives that would've impaled her if she didn't have superhuman reflexes.

"Ah, damn it," Radu cursed, but it wasn't his voice. It was the Emperor's. "I just barely missed. No matter," He grinned deviously. " _We_ will not miss this time."


	14. Chapter 14

With a swing of her staff and a subsequent _whack_ , Radu fell to the kitchen floor with a thud. Eda knelt down and examined him to see if he was still awake. She arose a short time later with a relieved sigh.

“He’s out cold,” She nudged him with a foot. “We’re in the clear for now.”

“What in the name of the Titan?” Lilith exclaimed, “How did the Emperor manage to get to him?”

Luz was still shocked from the sudden attack. Her eyes rolled to the now-unconscious Radu. She caught sight of a symbol on his arm. It was in the shape of a yellow potion bottle.

She remembered that the Coven system was introduced by the Emperor when he came to power. Everyone who was in a Coven had one of those symbols. Lilith and Eda had also explained that you must be marked in order for spells like this to work. So then...

“The Emperor must have used the Coven system to cast those spells!” She shouted, jabbing a finger at Radu’s arm. “That symbol on his arm! That must be how he’s doing it!”

Lilith and Eda exchanged a look.

“That would explain how he managed to cast the spell over all those people today.”

“Yes,” Lilith agreed. “When he established the coven system, he must’ve implanted backdoors into the symbols of all the covens as well. That way he could perform spells like the ones we’ve observed without raising suspicion.”

“I knew this coven thing was nothing but bullshit!” Eda snapped, “That bastard wants absolute control over every citizen in the isles.”

“But there’s something that doesn’t make sense.” Luz looked to Lilith, “Why couldn’t he just use you, Lilith?”

Lilith pulled at her sleeve, revealing her own marking: the sword and shield. However, it was dim and faded, resembling an old tattoo. 

“I managed to remove myself from my Coven’s control, after trying many different spells. Under normal circumstances, it would’ve made me a criminal, but obviously that didn’t matter after I betrayed the Emperor.”

Eda walked over to Luz and offered her hand, “Kid, we gotta focus. We’re in deep shit now!”

Once Luz was on her feet, Eda spoke to everyone in the room.

“The Emperor most likely knows where we are now. We’re in trouble, and we’re gonna need a plan if we wanna save our asses.”

Luz asked, “What makes you so sure he’s found us, Eda?”

“I’m sure there’s no way he _wouldn’t_ include some way to locate a citizen he’s casted a spell on. Remember, kid, he wants control and this Coven system gives him exactly what he wants.”

King piped up from his seat at the table. “I don’t see what the big deal is! Sure he found us this time, but all we have to do is teleport somewhere farther away! Problem solved!”

Eda shook her head, “No, King that’s not going to fly this time. We still need to give that potion time to brew. We’re going to have to hold our ground until it finishes.”

“Can’t we just use magic to speed up the process or something? Or take the cauldron somewhere safe?”

“Radu gave us specific instructions. We disobey them and who knows what happens.”

“But the Emperor is going to be sending his forces here. We don’t have enough time for that potion to finish!” Luz exclaimed.

Lilith put up her hands to pacify the teenager. “Calm down, Luz. Let’s think about this for a moment.” Lilith drew a magic circle.

Before everyone’s eyes, a cyan blue three-dimensional map of the Boiling Isles materialized before them. Luz could see downtown, Hexside, and the castle. She saw the forests, and the little pathways that were cut into them for travelers. Then, a yellow light materialized on the far side of the map, indicating where they were.

Lilith pointed at the yellow light, “We are _here._ ” She then moved her finger to the imposing fortress.”The Emperor’s Castle, and most of his soldiers, are _here._ In order to get to us, he’ll have to move all the soldiers across the entire island. Even with the aid of griffins, this will take time.”

Eda looked at her sister with a grim expression. “How long do you think we have, Lilith?”

“By my estimate and my knowledge of the Emperor’s forces, we have an hour and a half at least. We may have longer if he chooses to bring a lot of muscle. The more soldiers he brings, the longer it’ll take to transport them all.”

“Good. We can use that. We need to slow them down long enough for Luz to take that potion. Then, we can ditch this place. I’m sick of it anyway.” She jabbed a finger to her sister. “But, _you_ will be casting the teleportation spell this time.”

Lilith shrugged. “Whatever. What are we going to do to slow down our approaching enemies?”

Luz felt a surge of devious ideas for traps hit her. “I think I might have a few ideas for that. But where will we set up our traps?”

Lilith looked back to her map of the Boiling Isles. “Most of the soldiers will be coming in by ground, so we set them up along any paths that head in our direction. Thankfully, this part of the Boiling Isles is quieter and remote so we shouldn’t have to worry about anyone we don’t want wandering into our traps.”

“Perfect. Luz and I will set up as many nasty surprises for the soldiers as we can and slow them down. Lilith, you should prepare the teleportation spell for the House, and be sure to select somewhere that’ll be harder to get to. And,” they turned her attention to Radu, who snored quietly on the floor, “wake him up so that he can help us prepare for the fight coming up. King, you help him.” The demon in question nodded, and got himself out of his chair and proceeded to kick the unconscious dhampir until he awoke.

Radu’s eyes groggily opened. He slowly got to his feet, holding his head as he did so. “W-what happened? And, why does my head hurt?”

“Side effect of the Emperor’s spell.”

Luz and Lilith shot Eda a look, and the Owl Lady shrugged, stifling a snort.

“Is everyone ready?” Eda asked, her mischievous smile on display.

“Eda, Lilith?” Luz asked. The two witches turned to her with curious looks on their faces. Luz continued, “I need to ask something of the two of you, before we get started.”

“Alright kid, let’s hear it.”

* * *

Luz and Eda found themselves a fair distance away from the location of the Owl House. An hour had already passed, and they had managed to successfully booby-trap the area surrounding the Owl House.

The Emperor’s Coven had nasty surprises waiting for them. Pit traps with hungry plants, glyphs that spawned thick prisons made of ice, and a hungry Hooty.

Luz did a fantastic job if she said so herself. Or, thought so, because she felt she’d likely endure some teasing from Eda if she bragged out loud.

Unbeknownst to Luz, Eda walked slightly behind her, watching her student. Luz had come a long way since she stumbled into this world. 

She remembered with a smile when Luz had first met her, terrified that she’d devour her.

Now, Luz was becoming a witch, one unlike anyone she had ever seen before. She was more than capable of defending herself, had made loyal new friends, and these experiences have made her grow up a little more every day.

But, now Luz was a vampire and a fugitive. In mere hours, she would be ready to shed her vampire status, but only after they managed to defeat the Emperor’s Coven who were no doubt preparing to attack them.

A thought intruded into her head that made her nervous. _If_ _they managed to defeat the Emperor’s Coven._

The Emperor was finished playing games with them. He’d used a great amount of his own power to find them. He succeeded, and now he was surely sending everything he had to finish them once and for all.

She hated to admit it, but she was actually nervous about this. 

If it were only a short while ago, back when she had her full power, she would be more confident. She would laugh and arrogantly challenge the Emperor’s Coven.

Now, she was weaker, more vulnerable to attack. She couldn’t keep up like she used to, and neither could Lilith. She wasn’t quite as confident of their chances of coming out on top unscathed.

Luz. She was like a daughter to her. She would do anything to protect the kid, and pay any price to ensure that she was safe.

Eda would be destroyed if something happened to her. It did once, and though it was brief it had felt worse than being backstabbed by her own sister.

Maybe… maybe she should tell Luz about the backup plan. So she’s aware, so she and King are ready if the time comes. Lilith and Eda might not make it; they aren’t the witches they used to be. And, their time is running out either way.

But Luz’s time was just beginning. She deserved to live, no matter in what form or state. She deserved to have her time in the spotlight.

“H-hey, kid-”

“Yes, Eda?” Luz turned to look at her mentor. Eda felt herself lose some of her nerve looking into those eyes.

“I… uh….” She stammered, trying to find the words. How do you tell a kid there’s a decent chance that they could lose the upcoming battle, and she would have to be prepared to follow the backup plan, which involved leaving her mentor behind forever?

The words seemed to hover in her throat for a moment, but they soon died. Eda couldn’t do it. Damn it, she couldn’t do it. If the worst-case scenario appeared, she would just have to go for it. Grab King, hug them both, and tell them goodbye forever.

If it came to that. _Please_ _Titan, don’t let it come to that._

No. It wouldn’t. They were prepared. They were _ready._

She forced a smile, “N-nothing, kid. You did a great job with those traps back there.”

“Really? Thanks Eda! I just hope they’re going to buy us enough time!”

_Yeah. We’re ready; let them come._

* * *

_Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap._

King lowered his binoculars to eye the source of the irritating sound. Radu held a pen in his hand, tapping it nervously on the windowsill next to him.

Last that King remembered, he was the one on guard duty. Yet, here Radu was irritating him.

“Aren’t you supposed to be looking after the cauldron?” 

“Lilith said she’d trade places with me, give me a chance to rest. I decided I’d help you on lookout.”

“Mmm.” 

Eda had cast another spell to transport the entirety of the Owl House outside of the underground cavern that it had been in before. There was no point in hiding, now that the Emperor had pinpointed their precise location.

The cauldron sat nearby when he looked at it before, still bubbling above the fire below it. It would still need a few more hours in the sunlight before it was ready.

It was now late-afternoon, and the Emperor’s Coven would be here any moment. Somehow, they would have to hold them off long enough for the potion to finish and for Lilith to teleport them out of here.

Which meant that for the time being, they were sitting ducks. King really couldn’t blame Radu for being a little nervous. They were moments away from likely the largest assault the Boiling Isles had ever seen, and they would have to somehow hold the Emperor’s forces back long enough to escape.

One way or the other, though, the pen-tapping was annoying. 

“Could you please stop with the pen?”

“Oh, right. My apologies,” Radu placed the pen on the windowsill, and instead began to fidget. King rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the outside.

A moment later, he heard distant explosions, shocking the tiny demon. In the distance, he saw plumes of smoke rise into the air. Other explosions followed, but they brought no smoke with them.

_Must’ve been the traps Eda and Luz set. Seems their plan was working so far._

“Tell everyone they're coming, and they’re getting close!” He told Radu, who nodded before rushing away.

The young demon then brought the binoculars back up to his eyes. He continued his search for anything of alarm.

For a few moments, the only thing he could see was the smoke. However, he noticed white figures in the distance. At first there were a few, but their numbers only grew as they continued to get closer and closer.

Once he realized the sheer size, he began to shake. There was a little bit of everything in the approaching force: soldiers, griffons and other beasts, and cannons. Belos hadn’t just prepared a force for their capture; he was prepared to fight a small war in order to achieve it.

 _Shit._

King jumped to his feet and sprinted out of the room and down the stairs. He had to sound the alarm, let everyone know to prepare for battle. 

“They’re coming! Eda, Lilith, Luz, they’re here!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thank you to Lexa_Alycia and CodeNora for the assistance on this chapter! Not too much to say here, except expect 15 sooner as I am finally done with school for the moment!
> 
> Thanks as always. Leave your thought below!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, happy new year.
> 
> Second off, this chapter was a monster! There was so much that had to happen that it was really difficult to write at many parts, but it was so satisfying when I finally finished.
> 
> Also, I'd like to apologize. This story does take place after the first season and I think I made that clear. What I did not make clear was that Eda and Lilith's powers, at least in this canon, are dramatically reduced rather than being gone. Meaning I made it so that they can still cast spell circles but their overall power is greatly reduced than what it was before they were cursed. Essentially, for a time they couldn't do magic through their bile sacs but they recovered that ability after some time.
> 
> I apologize for not making that more clear. My two beta readers brought up this point and it was entirely fair, so I decided to make it clear here. 
> 
> Now, there will be an epilogue of sorts after this chapter, and then this story is finished. And I am so happy that so many people took time out of their lives and read it. So many kudos, comments, follows and views! I thank each and everyone one of you, including my two beta readers, for supporting this story.
> 
> I am still going to do the Eda story after this. It will take some time because I do plan on making that story of a higher quality than this one with, hopefully, more depth and detail. I'm not sure when the first chapter will be posted, so if you're interested, your best bet is to follow my account. Thanks you guys.

“Attention fugitives! You will receive only one warning. Exit the house immediately, hands raised and walking out slowly. Comply and no harm will come to you.”

The Owl House was surrounded. A sea of soldiers had descended upon the area, flooding the forest in white and gray.

There had to be hundreds of them in total. Some soldiers had arrived with their uniforms clean and undamaged.

Others were not so lucky. Some were covered in dirt, some were soaked to the bone, others had skin exposed due to having part of their uniforms burned off. They were no doubt victims of Eda and Luz’s traps, but unfortunately while the traps surely slowed some of them down, they did little to deter the soldiers from arriving.

Some looked antsy, pacing back and forth like an agitated bull. 

They were ready for a fight.

Soldiers were not the only ones in attendance, however. The cawing of griffons could be heard, as the armored creatures arrived under the guide of handlers. There was no doubt about it now: the Emperor had enough of the Owl House.

If the Owl House didn’t manage to win today, they were all as good as dead. This fight could be their last, and as far as their enemies were concerned, it absolutely was.

A few moments passed since one of the soldiers, having casted a spell to amplify his voice, made the warning to the Owl House. He grew impatient upon hearing no response.

“Surrender yourselves now! You are outnumbered and outmatched! You have five seconds before we strike you down.

He raised his arm, displaying five gloved fingers. He started the countdown.

Five.

Four.

A spherical green shield suddenly materialized around the Owl House. It was large and extended nearly as far as the front line of soldiers, causing them to stumble back in shock.

The leader of Belos’ forces eyed the massive shield, his mask hiding his flabbergasted expression. 

_Well, there’s your answer._

The Owl House wanted to go down fighting. No matter, it would only make victory more fun for him and the soldiers.

“I see you’ve made your choice. Remember fugitives, you had a chance to resolve this peacefully!” He turned to his soldiers, who had only grown more restless, and were ready to strike.

“Commence the attack!”

A booming war cry sounded from the army behind him. All manner of spells were conjured up and thrown at the defensive shield. Explosions shook the ground as ice, water and fire slammed into the barrier. Abominations of every size tried to break through the shield. Plants were summoned and willed to spray pheromones and other gases to weaken the shield.

However, nothing worked. The barrier shook under the attacks, but it never weakened in the slightest. A few minutes after the assault began, some soldiers attempted to dig under the shield to gain entry. They were met with the realization that the shield completely encased the Owl House, meaning that going under it was impossible.

To make matters worse, the barrier was enchanted in such a way that they could not cast spells on the _inside_. Some soldiers attempted to summon plant golems on the inside of the shield.

The result? Nothing for the average soldier. The more talented ones, who were capable of creating towering beasts made of little more than dirt and weeds, could only summon small pink and blue flowers at best.

The soldiers continued like this for half an hour, making no progress on penetrating the shield before them. They were ready to start applying tactical strategies, until the first fireball crashed into the ground and sent soldiers flying through the air.

The Clawthorne sisters were standing together in the tower that sat just behind the Owl House. Lilith had her staff raised and pointed at the army below them, smiling at her fire spell which blew holes in the ranks of the Emperor’s Coven. Eda stood in place, her hands at her sides as she held her position while moving as little as possible.

It took all her concentration to hold the protection spell. She had crafted it in such a way that it would be both powerful and minimally draining on her stamina. In return, she was forced to maintain perfect concentration in order for the spell to work. If she slipped up, the spell would weaken. And if she were to completely lose her focus, the barrier would shatter immediately and they would be vulnerable.

Thankfully, she had practiced this spell in the past. She had mastered it to the point where she could maintain the forcefield for hours.

Eda felt like she had this in the bag. It was too bad she couldn’t brag to Luz, who was downstairs preparing their final line of defense.

Next to Eda, Lilith prepared a round of fire spells. Hot flames materialized in the air, a short distance from the shield. 

Lilith casted the spell, and the flames flew rapidly towards the shield. They traveled in different directions, some heading for groups of soldiers to the front of Owl House while others sailed toward those at its sides and rear.

Eda opened small holes in the shield spell, large enough to allow the attacks to move through. Once they left the barrier, she quickly closed them again. Fire rained down on the army outside, sending soldiers running for cover.

“Perfect offense, perfect defense,” A smirking Eda remarked. Lilith, despite the situation being as serious as it was, let a small smile turn up the corners of her mouth.

“I’m inclined to agree. Excellent work, Edalyn.”

“Same to you, Lily.”

Oddly enough, fighting for their lives made Lilith happy. Putting aside the high chance of imminent death, working together with her younger sister reminded her of the good old days. Before becoming a fugitive, before joining the Emperor’s Coven, and before cursing her sister.

Eda and Lilith were side-by-side, as sisters should be. It was peculiar how it took all of this to bring the two sisters together, but Lilith was grateful nonetheless.

The sun began to set, creeping towards the horizon. It wouldn’t be long now until the potion was ready.

They had to hold out for a while longer. Then, everything would be alright. Eda and Lilith continued to employ their strategy, which was unfortunate for the soldiers below them.

Some were on fire, and others moved to heal them, only to be slammed to the ground by the force of another explosion. What was once a beautiful forest in varying shades of red was replaced with intense fires and black smoke that rose to the sky. Large craters were left in the wake of the barrage of fireballs, peppering the entirety of the battlefield before long.

Luz was inside the living room of the Owl House, nearly finished with her assigned task. She dragged her pen carefully over the paper, completing the final light glyph.

She grabbed some tape (which Eda had earlier sworn was a “human death trap”) and stuck the glyph to the window, joining the dozens of others that she had already taped onto the glass. And just like that, their second line of defense was set. It wouldn’t last very long but it was a last resort to slow the enemy down long enough to make an escape, but Luz hoped she wouldn’t have to activate them.

Owlbert sat perched atop her shoulder. He hooted, drawing her attention.

“How do you think it looks, Owlbert?”

 _Hoo_ t, responded the tiny owl, as he flapped his wings and nodded at her.

“Good enough, right? I hope Eda and Lilith are okay up there.”

 _Hoot,_ went Owlbert. He somehow managed to project worry into his expression. 

_Owlbert seems concerned about them too,_ Luz thought, _Maybe I should help them._

“Come on,” She attached him to the staff. “Let’s join them.”

Luz turned to make for the door, but then the cauldron crossed her mind. She'd decided to check on it, and make sure that none of the explosions had caused it to tip over or something. She doubted she’d find another powerful Abomination master before the Emperor got to her, so she wasn’t going to miss her chance now.

Luz walked to the back of the Owl House, where the cauldron had sat for the last few hours. The concoction bubbled, the fire below still burning hot. It wouldn’t be long now; maybe another hour or so at the most before it was ready.

Eda placed Hooty on watch duty, and the bird hovered nearby, having an animated conversation with a beetle. He hadn’t noticed her, and she decided to slip away before he could. 

“Alright,” She slapped her hands to her cheeks. “Cauldron’s fine, and Hooty will alert us if something happens. All we need now is to buy as much time as we can. We’ve come this far, we aren’t going to lose now!”

“How are you holding up Edalyn?”

Eda’s arms were growing tired, and her body felt like it was getting heavier by the minute. While it would still be some time before her magic reserves became low, she could feel herself being drained as time passed.

“Fine. A little tired, but nothing I can’t handle,” She sighed. “Where’s Luz? She should be done by now.”

“Right here!” Luz scaled the steps up the tower, carrying Owlbert in her hands. 

“Ah, great. You finished downstairs right?”

Luz gave her a thumbs up. 

“Everything is set up and ready to go,” Luz went to hand the staff to Eda, but the Owl Lady shook her head.

“Nah, kid. You hold onto it for now. Besides, I don’t want to take any chances right now, otherwise we’ll be using those glyphs sooner than we want to.”

Luz nodded, clutching the staff tightly. 

“Where’s King and Radu?”

“In Eda’s room, both on lookout duty. With Hooty watching the cauldron and our backside, we felt it was best that those two alert us to any potential threats we may have yet spotted.” Lilith fired another round of spells, before halting her barrage. “Thankfully, it seems so far there hasn’t been any-”

King sprinted up the tower and shouted from behind them, cutting Lilith off. 

“Eda, Lilith, we’ve just spotted the Hunters.”

Lilith grumbled to herself, “Figures.”

Eda rolled her eyes with a shrug. 

“Ah, who cares? Bastards are stuck outside with the rest of these schmucks. They aren’t anything to worry about.”

Going off of their appearance, one would think that the Owl Lady would be correct. After the Bat Queen’s ambush, the Hunters were in no shape to perform their duties. Though they were in much better shape now, free of the bandages and having been healed, it was clear that magic couldn’t fix everything.

Crell sported a new eye patch, while Rowan was missing a pinky and index finger on his right hand. The Bat Queen had done one hell of a number on them, leaving permanent reminders of her ambush.

Eda snorted and laughed when she spotted their wounds. 

“Ha! So one’s nickname is Patchy while the other one can only give high-threes! I’m buying the Queen any drink she wants once we get out of this,”

Lilith shook her head in disbelief, “I don’t know what they are expecting. They’re so close to the shield I could blast them away with ease.”

She raised her palisman, preparing more fire spells. The army below them braced themselves, certain they could do little to stop the attacks. The Hunters held their ground in defiance.

Eda opened the holes in the shield, just large enough for the fireballs to get through. The process would’ve been the same: Lilith’s spells fly through the holes in the barrier, and they then decimate the army. Then Eda would reseal the shield and repeat the process, creating other openings in different areas on the shield to avoid counter-attacks.

This time however, things did not work that way.

As the fireballs flew to their unfortunate targets, Rowan materialized a large pool of abomination goo. The black liquid flowed out, just a short distance from the two Hunters.

Rowan snapped his fingers. In a flash, the fluid closed around the two, and shaped itself into a ball that sailed rapidly toward the sky.

The fireball exited the barrier as the Hunters approached it.

Lilith’s eyes widened as she realized what they were up to. She swiftly changed the direction of the fireball nearest to them, sending the flaming inferno flying towards them, ready to incinerate them.

It sailed towards them rapidly and for a moment, Lilith allowed herself to relax.

The abomination fluid lost its shape. Suddenly a small piece of it shot out like a bullet, right in the path of the fireball.

The flames swallowed the separated mass of goo, and for a few seconds it seemed that it had been evaporated…

… Until a small fragment, coated with flames, emerged from the fireball and made it past the shield. It slammed into the ground with an audible boom _,_ a short distance from the entrance to the Owl House.

“Shit,” Eda cursed under her breath. “No no no….”

The goo subsided, flowing onto the grass below. Covered in mild burns were two Hunters, who had landed in a kneeled position.

They arose, and looked at Eda and Lilith with malevolent smiles on their faces.

Crom’s mocking voice called out to them. “Look who’s joined the party!”

The typically confident Eda spoke in a fast, frantic voice. 

“Lilith! I can’t release the protection spell or they’ll overwhelm us! Can you hold them off?” 

Lilith looked at her sister, who held fear in her eyes. The elder Clawthorne’s expression was stoic, and she filled her voice with determination.

“I will, for as long as I can!”

Luz cut in between them. 

“No! Lilith if you fight them both at once they’ll kill you!”

“We don’t have a choice!” Lilith shot back.

“Yes you do!” Luz raised Owlbert to her side, tapping the bottom of the staff on the ground.

Eda shook her head. 

“Kid, those glyphs won’t hold them off long enough.”

“I know. I’m going to help Lilith fight them!”

Eda’s snowy hair went flying as she rapidly shook her head. 

“ _Absolutely not.”_

“Lilith said it best! We don’t have a choice!”

“Kid you- LILITH!”

A green fireball sailed toward them, threatening to obliterate the tower. Lilith swiftly brought up her staff, materialized a torrent of water, and sent it at the flames.

Lilith’s spell extinguished the fire, sending smoke rising through the air with the hiss of steam. Had it hit, Eda would’ve dropped the barrier spell, and the army would’ve been upon them before she could recast it.

Lilith eyed the Hunters below, who now calmly walked towards them as if they had already won. Crom had more fire spells in his hands, ready to unleash them.

Lilith thought, _Sometimes I hate it when Luz is right_ . _We really have no choice._

“Edalyn, we have to let her fight.”

“NO!”

“Eda if you drop that spell we’re finished! We have to stop them before they get to you, or we’ll all die anyway!”

“D-DAMN IT....” Eda grit her teeth, biting back a retort.. 

There was no other way.

“Lilith… you better watch her back. If… if things go from bad to worse, get King and implement the backup plan. Do you understand me?”

“Of course.”

Eda faced Luz. Her voice trembled as she spoke. 

“Kid, if anything happens to you I promise you I will ground you until you’re thirty! You had better come back to me, do you understand?”

Luz nodded. 

“I won’t let you down, Eda!”

“Okay. Go, you two!”

Lilith raised her staff, conjuring an illusion hand over the edge of the tower. She and Luz stepped off the tower and onto the hand, and Lilith lowered them to the ground, to the waiting Hunters below them. Once their feet touched the grass, the hand dissipated behind them.

Lilith and Luz stared down Crom and Rowan. Luz’s eyes met Crom’s. Though he was the master of fire magic no flame he could produce would ever match the inferno in Luz’s eyes.

These bastards had been hunting them for weeks. Forcing them to uproot their home and go on the run, to remain in hiding.

They nearly killed Lilith, but were thwarted in their attempt to drown her in abomination fluid in the nick of time. 

And here they were once again, trying once more to end their lives.

Luz was sick of it. Sick of _them._ They would stop hunting them _today._

Her fingers twitched. Crom’s flames flickered. Rowan flexed his hand. Lilith raised her palisman, ready to cast a spell.

Crom launched a fireball at her, but Luz was ready. She jumped away, rolled in the dirt, then fired a beam of energy at the witch using Eda’s staff. He craned his neck, avoiding the hot wave of energy as it whizzed past his head.

Lilith summoned a root that wrapped itself around Rowan’s ankle, surprising him. Lilith used this opening to swing her palisman, aiming for his ribs.

Rowan caught her palisman in his hands, and the impact was powerful enough to cut into his palm. Fresh blood flowed from his hand and dripped to the ground.

He smiled and a gooey hand wrapped around Lilith before she could react, and sent her soaring across the field. Rowan chuckled until Lilith rose to her feet almost immediately. She raised her hand, and her discarded staff flew into her palm. The witch took a combat stance, ready to fight once again.

Rowan’s boots kicked up dirt as he sprinted to engage Lilith. The two clashed, sending spells flying in all directions. Luz would’ve thought it was awesome if she could have watched.

Instead, she had her own priorities.

“Bring out the Owl Bitch!” Roared Crom as Luz ducked his fist, which was coated in purple flames. “I want a real challenge before I kill you all!”

Luz jumped back, then raised Eda’s staff as Owlbert’s eyes began to glow. Crom attempted to close the gap between them. He stumbled, and looked to find his foot caught by ice. 

“Shit!”

He brought his flaming hands down to melt the ice. Before he could, Luz slammed a fist into his stomach. Crom heaved forward, spitting out blood.

Then, Luz uppercutted him, and his back collided with the ground.

Crom, now dazed, lifted his head and groaned in pain. But Luz wasn’t finished with him.

More ice materialized as Luz cast another spell with Owlbert, creating chilly restraints on his remaining leg and arms. He was pinned, and too discombobulated to resist.

Luz dropped her weight onto his bruised stomach, earning a pained moan from him. She raised her clenched fists.

“You almost killed Lilith!”

 _Smack_. 

“You tried to kill Eda!”

She raised her right fist, and punched his nose. She brought up her left fist, and slammed it across his cheek. 

“You forced us into hiding! I couldn’t see my friends, or my girlfriend! You- You bastard!”

Luz let the dam collapse, unleashing a flurry of punches across Crom’s vulnerable face. She hit his nose again, punched his mouth, anywhere she could. She released her pent-up fear, anger, and frustration on him.

Her volley went on for only a minute or two at the most, but it might as well have been centuries to the Hunter. Had Crom been a human, he’d be either dead or a vegetable, especially after taking such a powerful barrage from a vampire.

However, he wasn’t invincible. His nose was a mangled mess, with a river of blood flowing down from it. His one good eye was black and swollen, and his face was covered in new bruises. In combination with the scars that were already present on his face, he looked like he had spent most of his life as a living punching bag.

“Fuck. You.” Luz managed to growl between breaths. She spit at him. “Lay there and never get up, you piece of shit!”

Luz continued to catch her breath. She had won, and though she was tired it felt as though a mountain of weight had been lifted from her shoulders. 

She turned her attention to Lilith, hoping that things were going well for her.

Though she was also tiring, Lilith was still putting up a fight. Rowan sent a small army of abominations running toward her. The Clawthorne sprinted towards them, swinging her staff in the air.

She dispatched them with ease, the abominations disintegrating upon contact with her staff. She swung left and right, like a knife slicing through butter. Some stood back and kept their distance, but Lilith responded by firing fire spells at them.

The flames collided with the abominations’ stomach, seemingly swallowed with no harm done. Then, the abominations glanced down in fear as their bellies turned orange and began to expand. In panic, they ran only to explode into lifeless goo seconds later.

Lilith ducked under the last one as it tried to grab her, and stabbed her staff into its chest. She jumped back, and waited.

The abomination looked at its stomach in confusion, and then started to advance on her. Lilith grinned when she saw the familiar orange glow appear in its belly, watching it expand and explode.

Rowan glared at her as the last bits of his abomination rained down between them.

“Nice try,” Lilith spun her staff, before planting it into the ground next to her. “But, they were more of a workout than a legitimate threat.”

Rowan eyed her arm, and an idea formed in his head. He saw a small mass of abomination goo a few feet behind Lilith. Perfect.

He slid his hand just behind his back, drawing a spell circle. He willed the mass of goo to approach her slowly. 

“Very impressive, Lilith Clawthorne. Your skill is outmatched only by your beauty.”

Lilith's jaw fell open, not in flattery but in disgust. 

“You think a battle to the death is an appropriate time to _flirt?”_

He smiled as the goo moved closer. 

“Of course not, but, since one of us is about to die I figure I may as well be honest and tell you what I think of you.”

“How _thoughtful_ ,” Lilith replied, sarcasm dripping from her voice. “Well, I suppose since your final moments are approaching, I can see why you might want to say any last words.”

The goo closed the distance, now directly behind her. 

“See? I mean, you’re just stunning Lilith and I was _dying_ to say that. And lastly….”

“What is it?”

“I’ve really gotta hand it to you Clawthornes…”

The goo jumped, and wrapped itself around the entirety of Lilith’s arm. She gasped in shock, and moved to push it off her arm, but was too slow.

“...You really are a family of fools,” He spun his finger, creating a spell circle.

The goo contracted tightly on Lilith’s arm. The cracking of bones echoed across the field. 

Lilith screamed loudly in pain, making Luz and Eda’s hearts stop simultaneously.

“LILITH!” They called out in terrified shock. 

Eda’s control on the barrier slipped, and the shield flickered. Soldiers had been working on a way inside since the Hunters had invaded it, firing more concentrated attacks of magic in an attempt to breach it. When they saw it flicker they knew it had been weakened, so they redoubled their efforts.

Luz roared, grabbing Owlbert to attack. 

“I swear I’ll-”

“Oh, you dumb bitch.” 

Her head swerved to Crom, whose swollen eye barely opened. He had melted the binds on his hands while she was focused on Lilith’s battle, and his hands were now free.

“You should’ve been paying attention,” He slammed his cupped hands onto Luz’s eyes. Luz saw only darkness for a second, before green fire filled her vision.

She felt utter agony as the flames assaulted her eyes. She instinctively slammed them shut, screaming all the while. Crom’s hands locked around her throat, and he lifted her into the air, choking her and cutting off her screams.

He rose to his feet, suspending Luz from her neck. 

“How do you feel about flying, human?”

Luz could only gasp for air.

“I think it’s time we went for a flight. Don’t want to interrupt their fight do ya?”

Luz felt wind whoosh in her ears. She could no longer see, but she knew that she had been launched into the air. Crom had jumped, taking her with him.

After ten seconds, Luz felt them begin to descend through the air. She tried to wriggle out his grasp, but it was no use. Crom cackled loudly in her ear.

“You want to go back? Okay, down you go!”

He swung her backwards, before launching her to the hard ground waiting below her. Luz landed hard, sending dirt, grass and rocks flying everywhere. Crom landed near her, stumbling on his feet due to his wounds.

Their landing rattled the cauldron placed nearby which contained Luz’s potion. Thankfully, it didn’t tip over and spill, but Crom caught sight of it.

“What’s this? Looks important, and it would be a real dick move if someone were to knock it over.”

Luz coughed from the small crater she rested in. 

“No… please… leave it alone.”

“Fuck that,” He prepared a spell circle. “You don’t get to make demands, bitch. You--”

“HOOOOOOOOOT,” Hooty slammed into the unsuspecting Crom, sending him flying into the shield nearby. His head hit the barrier, and he fell to the ground, knocked out.

Hooty stretched over to Luz, his usual cheery face twisted in terror when he caught sight of her condition. 

“Luz!”

The teenager did not hear him. Luz sucked in ragged breaths slowly, but each one brought pain to her chest. One of her ribs was broken, and so was one of her legs. She had also temporarily lost her hearing; the battle that she could hear raging earlier had been replaced by nothing but ringing in her ears. However, the teen was hardly aware of that.

The pain in her eyes was overwhelming; it consumed her entire being. Luz would still be moaning in pain loudly if she had the strength to do so. In her current condition, all she could manage were soft moans of pain and whimpers as her eyes continued to burn.

Hooty called again, “Luz!” He stretched close to her face, hoping to get some sort of response.

Luz’s hearing began to return. As the ringing subsided, it was replaced by the sounds of battle from before. Luz could also hear someone or some _thing_ frantically breathing near her. She instinctively wrinkled her nose when her nose was assaulted by its putrid breath.

She knew only one creature whose breath could smell so horrible. “H-Hooty?”

“Luz! You’re okay!”

It took everything to take her mind off the still-agonizing pain in her eyes, but she managed to focus just enough to speak. “No, I’m not Hooty.”

“But you’re talking!”

She coughed, sending sharp pain through her chest once again. She did not have time for this.

“Hooty I need you to help me.”

“What can I do for you?”

Luz had been worried something like this would happen, and she had prepared for it. When she was still in Hexside, she learned how to create healing glyphs with Viney’s help.

Using healing magic through glyphs was not a cure-all. Each glyph could only deal with one injury instead of all of them, meaning she had to draw multiple glyphs for each injury

Healing magic through glyphs also needed time to kick in, and they only did so by holding the paper to the injured area until the paper was consumed. This process could be sped up if you applied multiple glyphs to one specific injury.

Thankfully, Luz had packed herself a few healing glyphs just for this situation. She was glad she had gotten into the habit of planning ahead.

She grit her teeth; this would make her aching body feel worse, but she had to move. She reached into her pocket, feeling for her glyphs. She grabbed them and pulled them out, hoping that she would not accidentally activate them.

“Listen to me carefully Hooty and do everything that I say. As quickly as you can, go into the house and get King and tell him to come outside and help me. Then, I need you to go and distract the other Hunter for as long as you can. You got it?”

“Okay!”

Luz heard him stretch away. She sighed, and the action felt like someone had put knives through her chest. She waited and tried her best not to cry from the pain as it would only make it worse.

The door burst open, and she heard tiny footsteps rush outside. 

“Luz! I’m here!”

“H-hey King.”

She heard nothing in response. She assumed King was taking in her appearance; she must’ve been a horrible sight.

“Oh my gosh, what happened?”

“That’s not important right now, King. Look, I took my glyphs out of my pocket. Can you get me the healing ones?”

“The ones you need to press on the wound until they start to work right?”

“Exactly. I packed about five, I think. I’ll put one each on my eyes, and you put two for my leg, and one for my rib.”

King frowned. “You want only one for your rib? Don’t you want that healed as quickly as possible?”

“We don’t have time, King. We have to do this now; Lilith and Eda need me.”

“Okay.”

King went over to where Luz had laid out her glyphs. He searched through them for a moment, before finding all the healing glyphs that Luz had talked about. 

He grabbed two of them in his hands and turned to Luz. “I’m going to put these two on your eyes.”

Luz gave him a shaky thumbs up. He gently placed the glyphs on her eyes. She raised her arms and pressed them down as gently as she could. The action only brought her pain, but she held them down despite it.

“Great. Now just put the other ones on my leg and rib.”

King did as she asked as delicately as he could. He took the remaining glyphs and out, then pressed them to her injured leg and rib.

They each pressed the glyphs down for thirty seconds. Finally, the paper crinkled and melted away.

Luz sighed. Her leg went numb for a moment, before being replaced with a soothing sensation that enveloped the damaged limb. The use of the two glyphs in combination were rapidly healing her leg.

Her ribs and eyes were also being healed, but at a much slower rate. But Luz had no time to wait for herself to be fully healed. She had to get up and get ready to fight.

She slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry and her eyes still burned, but it was a massive improvement over the agony she had felt earlier. She could see but not perfectly; she had to be careful.

She rolled in the dirt, before pressing her hands into the ground and pushing herself off. King helped her up as best as he could. Before long, Luz was on her feet, able to put weight onto her newly healed leg. She tapped her foot onto the ground, and it felt as good as new.

She then tried to take a deep breath and she winced. She could breathe normally without pain, but any deep breaths brought back the stabbing sensation in her chest.

Though her leg felt great, her vision was still impaired and healing very slowly, and her injured rib meant she couldn’t do too much maneuvering unless she wished to further hurt herself. Realistically, she was in no condition for a fight.

But she was out of options. She had to or they were done for. 

Luz sighed and turned her attention to the sky. The sun had not set yet, meaning the potion was close to completion but still not ready for consumption.

But if she didn’t take it now, she was risking it being destroyed, like it almost had been by Crom.

King was glad to see her on her feet, but he had a bad feeling about what Luz’s next action was going to be. 

“What are you going to do?”

Luz reached into the front pocket of her shirt. She felt a flash of relief when her hands grabbed the glass vials she had prepared earlier. It was the favor that she had asked of Eda and Lilith.

The vials contained blood. _Their_ blood, the blood of some of the most powerful witches on the Boiling Isles.

She took the two vials in her hand. They felt heavy, despite how light they actually were. 

“What I have to.”

That was exactly what he feared. 

“Are you insane? You can’t fight like this!”

“I’m not arguing with you King. Lilith is injured and we need to get her inside.”

Just then, Radu came running outside. 

“Luz! Good heavens child, you nearly gave me a heart attack! Are you alright?”

“Yes, for now, but I’m glad you’re here. I need your help.”

Hooty was doing his best to keep Rowan occupied (and he was doing a damn good job at it), as Lilith lay on the ground nearby, barely conscious.

Eda was atop the tower, reluctantly maintaining the protection spell. 

Unfortunately, their time was running out and so was Eda’s own energy. The shield she had erected now had visible cracks, thanks to her rapidly draining magical reserves. The army made steady progress in weakening the barrier, and it was only a matter of time before they succeeded.

And then, it would be game over.

Eda hated herself for staying, but she knew that losing control over the shield now would doom them all. Lilith’s arm was broken, so she’d be at a serious disadvantage if she were to continue fighting.

Radu wouldn’t stand a chance against the Hunters. After all, he had no combat skills and lacked a magic bile sac. Hooty could only hold off their enemies for so long, and King was too small to do anything.

That left Luz, who had been flung behind the Owl House the last time she’d seen her. It was all up to her, and Eda didn’t even know if she was okay.

_No. Stop thinking like that. That kid is something else, and Luz knows how to step to the plate when she’s needed._

* * *

“Luz, are you sure about this?”

“Give me the potion, King. We don’t have any time left.” She said to him through squinted eyes. The glyph had done what it could, but she still needed her eyes healed more. Her vision was still blurry, but she had to put up with it as their time was limited.

The completed potion bottle was purple in color. It glowed as it sat in Kings paw. Luz’s return to humanity laid in that potion; it was everything they were fighting for. She had to drink it now or she may never get the chance.

Radu spoke,“You do understand that the potion may not take effect as quickly as it should?”

Luz nodded. She took the potion from King, and eyed it. 

“And you understand that it may not work at all, given we were forced to halt the process?”

“It’s now or never, Radu.”

She pulled the cork of the bottle and drank the concoction. She had braced herself for a truly rancid taste, but to her surprise, it was bland.

A mixture of blood, old and new, abomination essence, and some of her DNA, yet, the taste was something like… milk? Not particularly bad, but not particularly good. It was just… tasteless. 

_Well_ , she thought, _this is way better than having to force it down_.

She finished the bottle, and handed it back to King. He and Radu shared a look, then returned their attention to Luz. 

“How do you feel?” Radu asked curiously.

Luz didn’t feel much different. Her heart didn’t start beating and she still had an appetite for blood and only blood. She still felt like a vampire.

“The same,” She shrugged. King and Radu exchanged a worried glance.

“Maybe you’ll have to wait longer?” King suggested.

They flinched when they heard groaning nearby. They whirled to see Crom stirring, mumbling curses at them in a daze. To their horror, he was already working his way onto his feet. Luz knew she didn’t have much time, and Lilith still needed her help.

“King, Radu, come with me!”

The trio ran out to the front of the house. Hooty was currently playing a whack-a-mole like game with Rowan, though it seemed like only Hooty was having any fun. Hooty would pop out of the ground and taunt Rowan, who would try to punch him or send abominations to subdue him. The bird-tube would simply disappear into the ground, and repeat the process.

Luz’s eyes scanned the battlefield, littered with craters and fires, and was relieved to find Lilith still alive, sitting up on the grass and clutching her broken and bloodied arm.

Get Lilith to safety! I’ll deal with Rowan before Crom gets back!”

King looked like he wanted to argue, but Luz’s determined look made him lose his nerve. 

“Fine, but you better not get yourself killed.”

Luz allowed herself a smile, “The King demands my survival. I shall not disappoint.” 

King and Radu went and helped Lilith to her feet. Together, they guided her back into the Owl House. They forgot about Lilith’s palisman, which was still lying down in the grass.

Luz turned to the bird-tube. 

“That’s enough Hooty! Help Radu and King take care of Lilith. Do whatever you can to help take care of her arm.”

“Roger that, hoot-hoot!”

The bird-tube retracted himself into the ground for the final time, leaving Luz and Rowan alone. 

Luz did her best to glare a hole through Rowan’s head. Rowan only grinned at the angry teen before him.

“I do not believe we’ve formally met. I’m-”

“I know who you are. And even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t care.”

He raised his eyebrows. She was a feisty one. 

“Even so, I believe-”

“ _Just shut up_.” 

Luz raised her arm, summoning Eda’s staff. The wooden palisman flew into Luz’s waiting hand, which trembled with rage.

“I don’t want to hear a _damn thing_ out of you! No more games, no more talking, no more _bullshit!_ ”

She took a defensive stance, planting her feet and pointing Owlbert at Rowan’s chest. Her rib protested but she ignored it.

“No more!” She bared her teeth, her fangs glinting in the setting sun. “It’s just you and me!”

“Actually, bitch…” Crom landed next to Rowan. “It’s you and _us.”_

Luz’s heart dropped, but she refused to show them her dismay. If she had to beat both Hunters, so be it. They were all that stood between Luz and saving her family.

“Fine!” She snapped, “I’ll beat both of you!”

She summoned vines at their feet. The two read her attack and evaded it, but Luz had been counting on that. She cast another spell, and the vines grew flowers that released a noxious gas.

It spread rapidly, and the Hunters scrambled away from it. Rowan continued to jump back as fast as he could to gain more distance, but Crom stumbled, and the gas surged toward him.

Crom took a deep breath, and exhaled a column of flames. The intense fire engulfed the gas and ignited it, causing an explosion. 

Luz instinctively searched for her opponents but didn’t see anything move or emerge from the smoke. She reached into her pocket and drew out a few paper glyphs, ready to defend any incoming attacks.

A large boom and subsequent rumbling of the ground caught her attention. Luz’s eyes went wide as she looked for the source. However, thanks to her vision and the growing darkness, she could see nothing.

Unbeknownst to her, Crom had launched himself into the air. He brought his hands together over his head, and between them a small blue fireball formed. Then, it expanded, as his hands spread apart.

Luz couldn't’ make out exactly what had formed in front of her at the distance she was from Crom, but she knew it was nothing good.

“Take this!” 

Crom launched the fireball at her, and its heat burned Luz’s face as it approached

The teen quickly jumped onto Owlbert, and willed him to fly out of the way. She spun, doing a one-eighty, and moved as far away from the fireball as she could.

It detonated. The explosion was deafening but it was nothing compared to the shockwave that followed.

A powerful blast of wind knocked Luz off Owlbert, and she fell toward the ground. She tried to summon him again but--

SMACK.

Luz felt her bones ache as an immense force gripped her ribs, causing her to shout in pain. She looked down and realized she was caught in the grasp of yet another abomination. Her arms were free, and used all her strength to free herself, but something was… off. 

She pulled and pulled on the abomination’s hands. She felt like she was… weaker somehow.

A thought crossed her mind. Was the potion working after all? Or was the abomination simply too powerful for her?

Luz thought to use her glyphs but the ones that had been in her hands earlier were lost in the mayhem of the explosion. She couldn’t reach into her pants pockets to grab any more. Without a staff or any glyphs, she couldn’t do much of anything.

She could barely see, her injured rib was being crushed, she had no glyphs, and she had no staff. She was defenseless.

“Unfortunately for you child,” Rowan’s voice called from behind her in a mocking tone. “You aren’t going anywhere anymore.”

Rowan approached her, coming close enough for Luz to see him clearly. She leveled him with a glare. 

“When I get out of this, I’ll make you pay!”

“Oh? And how do you plan on doing that, without this?” Crom stepped to Rowan’s side, and held up Owlbert, spinning him around carelessly. Luz’s blood boiled.

“Leave him alone!”

“Or what? Oh! What would happen if I were to snap it?” He set both his hands onto the opposite ends of the staff. Luz’s stomach dropped.

“No! Please just don’t hurt him!”

“Kid!” Eda called out from the tower. “Hang on, I’m coming!”

“No Eda! If you drop that spell we’re all dead!”

“Kid,” Eda was glad Luz couldn’t see the tears in her eyes. “I’d rather _die_ than lose you again. I don’t have much in this world. But I’d trade it all just to make sure you and King were safe and sound.”

“Please Eda! Just give me more time-”

“Shut up!” A harsh backhand cut her off. Crom stepped away from her, cackling. 

“Payback’s a bitch! You’re our primary target so you get to die first. Don’t worry too much though, because once that army’s in here your family is next.” Rowan glanced at Crom.

“Contact the Emperor. He’ll want to do this himself.”

“Kid, please, you have to let me help you!”

“Eda, we can still win this! I won’t ever give up! And neither should you!”

Crom’s body shook. Luz turned to face him. The vulgar witch’s eyes were now blue, just like Radu’s was.

“Ah, it’s about time you managed to secure her.”

Rowan stepped back, allowing the Emperor space to make the kill. 

“She’s all yours, sir. ”

The Emperor smiled at Luz with Crom’s ruined face. 

“ _Lovely._ ”

He prepared a fire spell. He held it up and approached Luz, intending to roast her alive. Luz’s heart started to race; what was about to come would hurt much more than having her eyes burned.

She was almost out of options. It was now or never. She would die here if she didn’t use the vials.

Her mind raced. What if they didn’t work because she took the potion? Or, what if they worked too well? What if it overloaded her body and she was consumed by it?

Her thoughts turned to her family. Eda was still maintaining the shield that had enabled them to survive this long in the first place. Lilith had fought hard and lost her arm defending them. King helped Luz heal herself enough to fight, and he and Radu looked out for everyone, while also helping Luz prepare the potion so she could take it. Even Hooty contributed.

If she didn’t do anything, their sacrifices would have been for nothing. It didn’t matter what happened to her next:

She had to try.

“Eda, cast the blinding light spell RIGHT NOW!”

“But kid the shield-”

“DO IT!”

Eda released the protection spell. The barrier shattered immediately. For a few seconds the army was stunned. Then, they recovered and with a deafening war cry, they rapidly advanced on the Owl House.

It was all or nothing now. Eda snapped her fingers.

The light glyphs that Luz had put up all around the Owl House activated at once. Together, they created a blinding light as bright as the sun.

Luz closed her eyes. She reached into her shirt pocket, grabbed the two vials of blood, popped them open and downed them, one after the other.

“Blasted morons!” The Emperor cursed, shielding his eyes. “You should have secured the area!”

“Deepest apologies sir! We thought the situation was under control!”

“Well you-”

A massive boom echoed through the air, cutting off Belos. His body was sent flying through the air, landing in the sea of soldiers with an audible thud.

The intense light would’ve burned any other vampires to death. But Luz was beyond the power of the others now. She could hardly feel it. Instead all she felt was intense power surging through her.

Her senses had been enhanced so greatly that she could navigate by smell alone. Her hearing was so precise that if she focused, she could hear every witches’ heartbeat in the area. 

She was powerful, and growing stronger by the second.

Rowan was knocked off his feet by the blast. Still blinded by the light, he could do nothing to stop Luz.

She punched him, eviscerating his armor and piercing right through his chest. Rowan spit up a torrent of blood, coughing hard and painfully.

One attack from her effectively destroyed his lung.

Luz was amazed by her newfound power, but she knew she wasn’t finished yet. The light had died down and everyone was regaining their bearings. Now was her chance.

She could wipe out the entire army in one move. 

She remembered Lilith’s palisman was still on the ground. She had an idea she wanted to try.

She summoned Eda’s staff once more, and used it to bring Lilith’s staff to her. It levitated over and landed in her hand.

In her left hand, she held Lilith’s staff. In her right, she held Owlbert.

She used the power of both palismans, and drew as much magic from the environment as she could. The ground rumbled, the wind picked up, and electricity crackled around her.

The Emperor’s army had gotten to their feet and readied their weapons. They froze when a massive tower of thick ice cast them into a shadow. It towered over them, and seemed to stretch for miles in either direction, cutting a path through the forest.

Eda was stunned, watching her student with a gaping mouth. She felt nothing but awe and overwhelming pride _._

 _That’s my kid!_ She thought.

Luz hovered in the air, wielding her mentors’ staff. She might as well have been a god before the army below her.

And it was time to pass judgment.

“Leave me and my family ALONE!”

She willed the wall of ice to melt, and a great tsunami of water crashed down towards the Emperor’s forces. 

Utter pandemonium followed as the wave assaulted the army below, sending them running and screaming in terror. 

It consumed them, throwing soldiers into trees, while others were swept away in the water, some caught by floating debris.

Luz willed the wave to rise to the sky. Defying physics and logic, the wave washed over soldiers who tried to use griffons to escape. However, It was no use.

Watery hell was unleashed upon the Emperor’s soldiers and swept them away. It was as if someone had taken an eraser and simply wiped the entire army away.

Luz flew herself to Eda. She still felt power coursing through her, making her body crackle with electricity.

Eda took note of this. 

“Kid, I’d hug you but, I don’t wanna get zapped.” She gave Luz the biggest smile she'd ever given anyone. “That was truly incredible Luz. There are no words that exist that can accurately describe how proud I am of you.”

Luz giggled, and the electricity popped as she grinned. 

“Thanks Eda!”

“Now then,” She turned her attention back to the field. “What do we do about _him?”_

“Who?”

There was a lone soldier limping on the field below them. He would’ve been unremarkable, but Eda could see his eyes:

A deep blue.

* * *

“Did you think you’d seen the last of me?” Snarled the Emperor’s voice in the body of his soldier.

Eda snorted, “No bonehead, we’re not that stupid.”

The Emperor growled again, “This is _not_ over! I will assemble another army and have you killed! I’ll do whatever it takes!”

“ _Really?_ Whatever it takes, huh?” Eda raised an eyebrow. She put her hands on her lips and shook her head. “I don’t think you realize the deep hole you’ve dug yourself in.”

Luz had calmed down now. Her body no longer released energy. Her fangs had retracted and she could feel her strength fading.

She was becoming human again. The potion had worked after all. Unfortunately, releasing so much power so fast was beginning to take its toll on her. She was about to pass out any moment. However, despite her growing fatigue, she felt better than she ever had.

“What do you mean, Eda?” Luz asked.

“Luz, let me ask you a question. Say you’re a citizen of a city that is ruled by an Emperor and unbeknownst to you, the system that the Emperor implemented allows him to spy on you and hijack your body whenever he wants. Then, he uses those same backdoors to hunt for fugitives, spreading confusion and fear all over the city.”

Eda smirked. 

“How would you feel about that?”

“I’d go with mighty pissed.”

“Right. And who would that anger be directed towards?”

“The Emperor and all his goons.”

“Right. So, if that information were to leak, and the public came to understand that the Emperor is guilty of all the things I’ve mentioned, what do you think would happen?”

It was Luz’s turn to smirk. 

“You’d have a whole city of mightily-pissed, tax-paying citizens ready for a revolution.”

“Exactly. Nice job, kiddo.”

The Emperor narrowed his eyes at them. 

“Are you threatening me, Edalyn Clawthorne?”

“You’re damn right I am. I am sick and tired of living my life as a fugitive, and we are all sick of it too. And Luz here isn’t even a full-vampire anymore, so it’s not like she’s such a huge threat to your Empire. In fact, thanks to your own actions,” She poked the soldier’s nose, “... _You_ are the one who has placed your power at jeopardy. So, in exchange for our silence, you have to remove our status as fugitives and leave us alone. If not, we help the citizens of Bonesborough connect the dots. Deal?”

There was a tense silence.

The Emperor was cornered, and he _knew_ it. If the public knew of the truth, it could cause everything he had built to come tumbling down.

“I accept your terms, Clawthorne. But, understand this,” He raised a finger. Cause me trouble again and I will _crush you_ as soon as the opportunity presents itself..”

“Pfft, whtever,” Eda waved a hand in the air. “Just leave and release that poor soldier.”

The Emperor released the spell. The soldier came to, and he stared at the Owl Lady and Luz for a moment and took off running and screaming. He was wise to want no part of what he had just witnessed.

“Nice job, Eda. Everything will go back to normal again! I’ll finally go back to school again and see my friends!”

“Yeah,” She finally tousled Luz’s hair, before pulling her into a tight hug, which Luz happily returned.

“You did great kid. Now, let’s go down and see how everyone else is holding up.” She looked away from Luz and eyed the Owl House. “It’ll take some work to get the house back to it’s spot but I think-”

She looked back down to her student. Luz was fast asleep, still on her feet.

Eda shook her head and her smile grew. 

“What am I going to do with you, Luz?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. There it is! 
> 
> Overall, I think I did fairly well writing this story but I acknowledge that there were weak points. Looking back, I realized that I could've given more depth to the Hunters; doing so would've, I think, given them a more menacing presence in the story. I do think I could've did better in planning the story a bit more but, all things considered, it wasn't bad. I realize now from writing this story that I write best when there's a basic overall plan for where the story goes, and as I write I implement smaller story details and whatnot. 
> 
> All I ask now is that those of you who read this chapter and next could leave me your honest thoughts on the story overall. How did you like it?? What were some of your gripes with the story, the events, the characters, my writing, anything. I genuinely want to hear what you loved, but I also need to hear what you didn't in order to improve. If you have thoughts, please leave them below because I'd love to hear them.
> 
> Thanks!


	16. Chapter 16

The door creaked loudly as it swung open, bringing cool air into the house. A figure loomed in the doorway, not walking in. She furrowed her brow, having a battle with herself.

A part of her told her that it was pointless. Months of searching, hours of talking with law enforcement, and endless worrying and tears. No matter how hard she or anyone else had tried, Luz was nowhere to be found.

Police officers reassured her that they were still searching, but she could hear the doubt mixed in with their fatigue. After all, she was hardly the only missing child. Months passed since she had last received the letters, last had any form of contact with her daughter, and though she held out hope, the police were already moving on to other cases.

Her mind returned to the doorway. Once again, the voice in her head told her that it was pointless. She wasn’t home; she may never come home. Camila Noceda tried anyway, because she dared to hope that one day her baby would come home.

“Luz?” She called.

Her call was met with silence.. Her heart sank; Luz had not come home. Yet, it still surprised her. She couldn’t begin to understand why - it had been that way for so long now.

She finally entered the empty house, completing the ritual. Ever since she realized that Luz was missing, she always hesitated to enter her home, hoping Luz would be there to greet her.. Each day brought more sadness and disappointment, and a heavy ache in Camila’s chest that she could never get used to, no matter how long it lingered.

Her little light was lost, and she could not find her and bring her home. The thought of it was so painful that Camila would prefer placing her hand on a hot stove if it meant she could find some relief. The only thing she wanted more, however, was to see her baby happy, and healthy. To give her a big smile and a bigger hug. To apologize for sending her off to summer camp instead of doing more to understand where Luz was coming from, and work through her issues with school and making friends.

For that, Camila would do anything. She would give anything in the world just to see her daughter again.

She closed the door, tossed her keys onto the table next to it, and walked over to her couch.

The same couch where she and Luz had played video games and sang and danced. The same couch where Luz would fall asleep, snuggled up next to her under a warm blanket, as the credits rolled for the anime movie she’d begged her mother to watch with her.

She dropped onto the couch and stared at the television in front of her. She recalled watching so many anime movies with her daughter.

Luz loved the movies from… what was it called, again? Studio Ghibli?

She would hum the themes as they came on, and laugh at the antics of the characters in the movies. Camila remembered catching Luz’s smile reflected on the TV, watching her daughter enjoy herself rather than focus on whatever was playing in the background.

So bright. So joyous and happy. So _Luz._

She looked in the reflection again. She saw nothing but her own tired eyes, on the verge of tears. She didn’t see cat ears. She didn’t see Luz’s hair, or her beautiful brown eyes.

She didn’t see her smile. Because her baby was gone, and was not coming back.

She was fighting hard not to cry, but she gave up. Her sobs resonated throughout the room, filling the house with the sound of her sorrow.

Her baby was gone.

“Okay, Lily, just lower it!” Eda called. 

A large shadow was cast over her as the levitating Owl House, covered in a cloak of blue energy, floated towards its original foundation. The morning sun cast the forest in a beautiful shade of orange, and lit up Eda’s smiling face.

Lilith’s eyes narrowed in concentration as she gently willed the house to lower to the ground. A gentle breeze caught her hair, making it sway slightly. She had to perform this spell on the roof of the house, to ensure that she could see as much as she could. She moved one arm to control the house, while her other rested in an improvised sling. Her arm would be healed in less than a day or so, thanks to Luz’s healing glyphs, but in the meantime she got by using just her left arm.

Her forehead glistened with sweat. They had started early that morning, before dawn. She had to move the Owl House, with all of its occupants and items, across the island and all the way back to its original location. It was tiring work, but thankfully the job was nearly done.

She brought the Owl House down closer and closer, until the house made contact. 

She looked to her sister, who gave her the thumbs up and a toothy smile, fang and all. She returned it, glad that she could finally rest.

Eda brought her hands up to her mouth and shouted, “All clear, you guys you can come out!”

The door opened, and out came Luz with King riding on her back, followed by Radu. Lilith got onto her staff and rode down to join them. Despite how tired they all were from having to secure everything that was fragile inside the Owl House, just like Eda and Lilith, they were all smiles.

The group turned and looked at the Owl House. Finally, it was returned to its rightful spot. The wind blew it’s weather vane as the morning sun shone upon it. No longer confined to an underground cavern, the Owl House was outside and free once again.

And so were its inhabitants. Eda slapped Lily on the back, hard, and the witch threw Eda a harsh scowl which she completely ignored..

“She’s finally home, you guys. Lily, King, Radu, Luz, thank you for all your hard work and sacrifice. Not only did we all make it out of that bind alive, we even got a little bonus for our troubles.”

“Yes,” Radu nodded, “How does it feel to finally be on the right side of the law again, Eda?”

“Feels like this owl’s gonna to stretch her wings for the first time in a long time. How did it feel to be on the _wrong_ side of the law for a change?”

Radu laughed heartily. 

“Dreadful. I won’t miss it.”

“I’m sure you won’t. Thanks again for all of your help,” Eda clapped a hand on his shoulder and Radu smiled.

“It was my pleasure, Owl Lady. But, does this mean I can get a decent discount on that suit you promised me?”

Eda snorted. 

“Ha! You wish.”

Radu frowned at her, and Eda rolled her eyes. 

“I’m just kidding. After all you’ve done, I’ll gladly give it to you for free. Just this once.”

“Wonderful!” 

Radu turned to Luz, and got down onto a knee. He gave her a smile as he spoke. 

“Luz Noceda. I must say, you have demonstrated great bravery, intelligence, and maturity. I haven’t known you long, but I’m positive you’ll become a very powerful witch in the future, if that’s what you wish.”

He put his hands onto her shoulders and squeezed them tightly. “You are a wonderful child, and I am grateful that I got the chance to help you. Keep working hard and keep your head up. You’ll be a witch the likes of which the world has never seen!”

Luz beamed and wrapped him in a hug. 

“Thank you Radu! Please visit us soon, I’d love to learn more about vampires and dhamphirs!”

“I’ll be sure to visit you all soon. Until next time!” He got to his feet, waved goodbye, and set on the path back to the city. 

“Who knew the brother of Dracula is a customer of yours, Eda?”

“Well, I didn’t. I wonder where his brother is?”

“Oh, does it really matter, Edalyn?” Lilith stretched her arms and yawned. “I’m tired. If you need me, I’ll be in bed.”

“Fine. Head to bed, sleepyhead. Don’t want to-”

“Stop it.”

Lilith disappeared into the Owl House. That left Eda, Luz, and King still outside.

Eda really decided to enjoy the moment. She was free to walk around the city without annoying guards trying to pester her, capture her and/or try to date her. Well, okay, at the very least she wouldn’t have to worry about being captured.

And Luz was no longer in any danger. She was alive, safe, and even better she would be staying with Eda.

Right?

It suddenly occurred to Eda that Luz had lost contact with her mother some time ago. Maybe… she should talk to Luz and see if she was okay.

“So, kid, how are you feeling?”

Luz turned to her with her trademark smile, “Awesome. I'm a little tired too, but, I think this is the best I’ve felt in months.”

Eda nodded. Luz continued, “And Eda, I’m really truly sorry. For everything. My antics got me in a lot of trouble and you guys helped me get out of it. I promise nothing like this will happen ever again.”

“Hmm. Well, kid, things got a little rough for a while, but, honestly this wasn’t all terrible. Lily and I ended up having our records cleared, thanks to a little trusty blackmail. You got a taste of what life is like as a non-human, and I think the experience really made you grow up a lot. I don’t see you jumping headfirst into things like you used to, you know.” She grabbed the kids shoulder and brought her close. Eda’s warmth comforted Luz like it had so many times before. “Besides, kid, you’re family. You’ve made my life and many others’ so much better. I really can’t stay mad at you.”

_Family_ , Luz thought.

_Mom._

“So, what do you want to do next?”

“I…” Emotion choked Luz, making her stammer, “I have to find a way to see my mom. It’s been too long, Eda. I miss her. I want to see her now more than anything.”

Eda looked away from her for a moment. She had a feeling that Luz would’ve wanted to see her mother. Now that everything was resolved, it only made sense. 

There was one problem Eda had with it. It was selfish and she hated herself for it, but she couldn’t help but be worried.

What if Eda took her back to see her mother, and Luz didn’t come back to the Boiling Isles? What if she never came back?

When her mother learned the truth, _all of it,_ then she would surely keep Luz back in the human realm. Her daughter had faced death multiple times in her stay here, and very nearly lost her life. When her mother learned about that, Eda may never see Luz again.

Eda turned her attention back to her apprentice. Luz had hung her head, and she sniffled quietly. King was on her shoulder, hugging her and trying to comfort her as best as he could.

Eda didn’t want to lose Luz, but this was the right thing to do. Luz’s real home was in the human world, with her true family. She had to take her back, even if it may be the very last time she saw her apprentice.

“Hey, Luz. Come with me, I’ve got something to show you.”

The sun hung overheard on the two as they stopped a short distance from the Owl House. Eda wished her heart would be still, but it continued to race in her chest.

“Kid, I’m not going to lie to you. There were a few moments in the past few weeks where I was ready to call it quits and send you and King off to somewhere safe.”

Luz’s eyes went wide. Eda nodded, then continued. 

“I told you that I wasn’t going to lose you again and I meant it. I had another backup plan in case Lilith and I knew we weren’t going to make it.”

The Owl Lady drew a wide spell circle with her finger, which glowed an eerie bright white color. Then, while the large spell circle was still materialized, Eda quickly drew smaller circles in its interior.

Luz squinted in focus as she watched her mentor. Whatever spell Eda was casting, it was quite intricate. 

She drew a final spell circle. The large circle and series of smaller circles glowed and pulsed for a moment, before they all converged into one bright ball of light. Luz turned her head away to avoid blinding herself.

When she turned to Eda again and looked at what she had in her hand, she couldn’t help but let her jaw drop.

A _key._ Not just any key but a key similar to the one Eda had used to travel to the human world, though instead of brown the key was white. Otherwise, it looked just like the key that brought Luz here, and the same key that she had destroyed.

The teen was stunned. Eda nodded once again when Luz met her eyes.

“I managed to create another portal key not too long ago, while we were stuck in that underground cave. Was harder than it was the first time I did it, but I managed. I… intended to send you and King back to the human realm and destroy the key when it became clear that we couldn’t win.”

Eda sighed.   
  
“I knew if it came to that I would’ve only had seconds to hug the both of you goodbye and send you off. I also knew that if I didn’t shove the both of you in quickly…” She chuckled, “... you would’ve fought tooth and nail to stay with us until the bitter end. But, I’d rather die a thousand times before I ever let something happen to either of you .”

Luz was speechless. She stood there frozen, her eyes glued to the key that Eda held in her hand.

“But,” Eda said, “Obviously things worked out and it didn’t come to that. We survived and, for the most part, we’re okay. Except for you, kid. I know how much you miss your mom, and Titan only knows how much she must miss you. So, I can use this key and send you back to her. It even links right up to the same old house that brought you here. What do you say, Luz?”

She struggled to respond. 

“I… I don’t…”

Of course she wanted to see her mother. More than anything in the world. But, that meant telling her mother the truth…

How would she react? She might be so shocked she’ll never let Luz leave the house again, let alone come back to the Boiling Isles…

Luz wanted to see her mother, but she wanted to come back to the Boiling Isles. She wanted to be with her friends, Amity, Eda and the family she’d found here.

If she went back home, she would put all that in jeopardy. She… she somehow had to convince her mother to let her come back to the Boiling Isles, even if she couldn’t stay here long-term.

“I want to go. I’m going to go back, but not yet. I need to do something first.”

“Take your time kid. But, what are you going to do?”

Luz had to show her mother that despite all the horrible things that have happened since she came here, there was good here too, and a lot of it.

She needed to bring the person whose presence would serve to show her that.

“I’m taking Amity with me.”

Luz waited patiently for everyone to arrive. She had gotten hold of Eda’s crystal ball and contacted Gus, Willow, Edric, Emira and Amity. They were her friends, after all, and if Luz failed to convince her mother to let her come back, this would be one of the last times she would see them.

She fiddled nervously with her hands as she stood outside the Owl House. After a few minutes, she sees them all walking up. Her heart began to race and she smiled when they saw her.

Emira and Edric, always teasing their little sister, were taking turns poking her cheeks as she walked. Amity was unamused, of course, scowling and trying to ignore them, her cheeks burning as she endured their torment.

When she saw Luz, she pushed them away. The young Blight quickly broke into a sprint, her previous irritation swiftly replaced with joy. Luz’s smile only grew as she held out her arms for the incoming hug. She also tried to plant her feet, because Amity wasn’t slowing down as she rapidly closed the gap between them.

It didn’t matter. Amity collided into Luz, wrapping her arms around her tightly, before the two of them lost their balance and fell onto the ground.

But the two teens hardly cared. Amity hugged Luz so tightly the teen briefly wondered if she would be suffocated, but rather than worry about that, she decided to return her girlfriend’s hug, crushing her just as tightly.

Emira placed her arm onto Edric’s shoulder, the two content to see Luz and Amity reunited. Willow and Gus caught up to their friends, helped them off the ground, and quickly wrapped them up in a group hug.

They stayed like this for a while, not exchanging a word. Luz was okay, and everything was back to normal, at least for the moment.

The hug broke, and Amity was the first to speak. She held Luz’s hand, not wanting to let go of her just yet.

“You really are something else, Luz.”

“Tell me about it,” Willow added, “You faced the Emperor _twice_ and managed to survive!”

Gus enthusiastically waved his flags around. 

“You are a boss, Luz! And I’m _positive_ I said that correctly!”

Luz giggled, embarrassed by all the praise. 

“Thanks guys. I’m just glad we were able to come out on top.”

Amity squeezed her hand. 

“So, this means everything’s okay, right? You’ll be coming back to school?”

By this point, Emira and Edric had arrived, and they joined the group who stared at Luz with hopeful expressions. 

Luz’s eyes slowly went to the ground. 

“No, not yet. I called you all here because I want to tell you that I might not come back for a while, if I can come back at all.”

Amity felt like a rug had been swept from under her feet. 

“W-what?”

Luz sighed. 

“It’s true that the Emperor won’t be bothering us anymore, and I’ve regained my humanity, but I have to go back to the human world. I have to see my mother, and I have to tell her the truth. She has to know I’m okay.”

Edric and Emira shared a look of worry. Gus’s raised flags fell to his sides, and Willow deflated. Amity was nearly in tears.

“W-well, when are you going back? You don’t have to go right away, right?”

“I’m going to go back soon, in the next hour or so.”

“That’s too soon!” Amity took Luz by the shoulders, her voice frantic. “Can’t you wait a few days? A week at least?” 

Luz could hear the hurt in her voice, and reached to cup her chin.

“No, Amity. My mom has waited long enough. I have to go back, and I have to tell her what happened to me while I was gone. It’s the right thing to do. It’s just…. I don’t know if she’s going to let me come back after she knows the truth.”

“Luz…” Amity openly let her tears fall down her face, “Luz, I- we _just_ got you back!”

“Amity….”

“You _died_ in my arms Luz! Then you had to go into hiding, and I didn’t see you for weeks! Now, you come back and have to leave again, maybe forever?! That’s not fair!”

Luz lowered her hands and took Amity’s from her shoulders.

“Amity, _stop!”_

Amity flinched, and the group went silent.

“I have to go back no matter what. That’s just the way things have to be, but, I’m going to try to convince my mother to let me come back here.”

“How are you going to do that?” Willow asked.

Luz turned her attention back to Amity, who returned her gaze with tears in her eyes. 

“I want to bring Amity with me.”

“What? Bring Amity with you?” Emira quirked an eyebrow. “How would that convince your mom to let you come back?”

Luz rocked on her feet, lacing her fingers together as she looked to Emira.

“The reason my mother sent me away to summer camp was to manage my imagination. She hoped that I would come back to school and actually start making friends and acting more like a normal teenager.”

Luz met Amity’s eyes once again. 

“But since I’ve come to the Boiling Isles, not only have I made new friends, I’ve found myself a family here. Eda, King, and even Hooty and Lilith, they’ve all become a family to me. You guys are all my friends and would do anything to help me, like I would for you.

Luz smiled. 

“I’ve even managed to stumble on a cute girl who actually likes me. _Me.”_

Her words made Amity return her smile despite her sadness. Luz brought her in for another hug, squeezing her tightly as she spoke over her shoulder

“So, I think if I take Amity as living proof that I’ve found the friends I need, and take my experiences as proof that I’m growing, then maybe my mom will overlook the other things that happened and let me come back here,” Luz pulled away from Amity, keeping her hands around her waist. She’s my mother, and she wants me to be happy above all else, right?”

“Right,” Amity said.

“So, you’ll go with me?”

Amity rolled her eyes.

“Of course I will, you dummy!”

“Then it’s settled. I’ll go get Eda so we can leave.”

Luz let go of her girlfriend and turned to the Owl House. Before she could take a step forward, she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Willow’s.

“Look, Luz I can’t say whether this plan of yours will work or not. But, I think you should have something so that you can always remember the happy times you’ve had here, and the people who were with you during them.”

Luz nodded, “Okay, but what do you have in mind?”

Willow grinned.  
  


Everyone gathered in the living room. Luz and Amity stood together, while everyone else either stood or sat nearby.

“Okay, kids, are you ready?”

Luz squeezed Amity’s hand. The two looked at each other before they nodded in determination.

“Ready,” They said in unison.

“We’ll be waiting for you here!” Willow called. “Good luck!”

Luz nodded at Willow, before looking to Eda. 

“Let’s do it.”

Eda produced a briefcase. It was identical to the former one, only now it was colored silver instead of brown.

Eda placed the briefcase down on the floor. It grew into a full sized door, and shining bright white light illuminated the entire room. It seemed to ooze magic as it sparkled, waiting patiently for Luz and Amity to step inside. 

Eda walked over to Luz and gave her the key. 

“You know what to do.”

Luz took a shaky breath and pocketed the magical key. She started towards the door, Amity following closely behind. Luz was going to finally see her mother again.

She walked through the door, and was quickly enveloped by the blinding bright light. She gripped Amity’s hand tightly as they continued through the tunnel of light, wondering where they would end up when they emerged on the other side.

They didn’t have to wait long. When they stepped through the portal, Luz immediately looked downward. Under her feet was a familiar concrete sidewalk.

She looked to her left, and saw an asphalt road. She took a moment to take in her surroundings, and realized she was back in her old neighborhood. The green foliage she had last seen months ago were now brown, orange and red, not unlike the Boiling Isles. Fallen leaves were everywhere, and the air was cool and crisp.

The sun shined down on them, and there were few clouds in the blue sky. It dawned on Luz she was home once again, and she felt a wave of nostalgia rush over her.

She was impressed at how close Eda had gotten them to her house, just by simply telling her the address. Maybe she had modified the portal to work as if she were using a mapping app on her phone. 

No. That didn’t matter. She turned her attention away from the street and did a one-eighty. The portal frame disappeared behind them; if Luz wanted to get back, all she had to do was use the key.

Her house was right in front of them. It was virtually unchanged, though just like the street and the rest of the neighborhood it was covered in leaves as well. 

The driveway was empty. That was right, her mother was likely still at work. It was early in the afternoon, and if she had a late shift, she would probably be getting home soon. They had come at the perfect time.

She glanced at Amity, who was in awe at just how different the human world was. It dawned on Luz that this could be the first and only time she would see it, but she hoped that wouldn’t be the case.

They could have some fun dates here. Maybe they could go to a carnival or even a fair. Watch a horror movie and use it as an excuse to cuddle up in fear. Best of all, they wouldn’t have to worry about flesh-eating monsters wanting to kill them.

Maybe if her mom let them, they could stay here on the weekends and cook together, or play board games and watch anime. She would love that, and as long as Amity was with Luz, she was sure she’d love it too.

“You ready Amity?”

Amity swallowed. She resolved to fight her growing nervousness, but her mind made the job difficult.

_I’m meeting my girlfriend’s mother. Don’t freak out! She’ll be nothing like Mom or Dad!_

She nodded to her girlfriend, “A little nervous, but, I’ll be okay.”

“Don’t worry. My mom probably won’t be home for a while, so we’ll just have to wait inside.”

“But, are you ready Luz?”

Luz sighed as she brought Amity up to the house. 

“Only one way to find out.”

She fished her house key out of her pocket. She hadn’t touched it since she had left months ago. Luz unlocked the door, and after exchanging another look with Amity, she pushed it open. The door loudly creaked as they stepped inside.

Luz gasped.

The house was a mess. Papers were scattered all over the floor and the couch in the living room, accompanied by clothes and other debris. Glasses and dishes were littered here and there as well, some clean and some dirty. 

They walked inside and had to be careful not to trip over anything. Luz brought Amity to the dining room, and after clearing off junk from the chairs, the two of them sat down. From what Luz had seen in the living and dining room, she guessed that the rest of the house was in the same state.

Her mother _hated_ messes. She would always have Luz clean her room from top to bottom whenever it got too messy for her liking. A mess like this would, ironically, send Camila to the hospital. 

She realized with a stab of pain in her chest that this was the toll that losing Luz had taken on her mother. The sprawling mess was an expression of her mother’s hopelessness at the loss of her daughter. She was so consumed by her sadness she had no energy to rid herself of the mess she had despised so much before.

Amity noticed the despondent look in Luz’s eyes. She took her hand again, before gently taking Luz’s head and turning it so they were looking at each other.

She tried to reassure her. 

“It’s okay Luz.”

Luz forced a smile, but her voice hinted she was unconvinced. 

“Yeah. Let’s just wait until she gets back.”

  
  


Another day, another disappointment. She stopped by the police department on the way home and the officers had nothing to say to her. Camila had never felt such despair.

She walked up the steps of the porch,carrying her purse and a few bags of groceries that she had bought.

As usual, there was no news on the whereabouts of her daughter. Once again, she would be home alone. Eating, watching TV, and living by herself. Only, without her daughter, she could hardly call it living.

She failed to notice the kitchen light being on as she set a few bags by the door. She unlocked and opened the door. Her routine crossed her mind again, and out of habit, she decided she would try once again. As she was about to call out, she noticed the light coming from inside the house. She was sure she always turned off every light in the house before she went to work. Then she heard the sound of water running, and the sound of dishes clattering in the sink.

Someone was inside her house? A robber maybe? No, robbers don’t do dishes.

Maybe it was…?

Her heart rate climbed rapidly as hope and excitement bubbled up inside her.

“L-Luz?”

The water and clanging stopped.

She heard rapid footsteps. They were far away but in seconds they were just behind the door. Then the door then swung open.

The rest of her groceries and her purse hit the ground. 

“Mamá!” 

A river of joyous tears flowed down Luz’s face as her eyes met her mother’s. Camila was stunned, and overwhelmed by a surge of emotions. But she picked up Luz, and swung her around, bawling uncontrollably as she did so. 

Her baby was home. Her baby was home. Her baby was HOME.

She hugged Luz tighter than she had ever hugged anyone in her life. She ruffled her hair, peppered her face with kisses, her tears flowing like water from a broken dam.

The two sunk to the floor in their embrace, loudly crying and caring little about it.

Amity herself felt tears run silently down her cheeks, a small smile on her face as she watched the scene.

Luz and her mother were together once again.

  
  


Luz and Camila managed to make it to the table, holding hands as Luz led her to a seat. They were still sniffling, and both overjoyed. Part of Camila wondered if she was dreaming.

But this was no dream, no trick. Luz was here and she was okay. When she finally calmed down enough to think, Camila’s questions came out rapidly.

“What happened, mija? Where have you been? I was so scared that I thought I lost you!”

Luz took a deep breath, steeling herself to tell her mom everything. 

“Okay, mamá. I will answer every question you have, and it’ll be hard to believe, but you have to trust me.”

Camila finally noticed Amity, who awkwardly rubbed her arm when Camila made eye contact with her.

“Oh, hello. Who are you?”

Luz whipped around to Amity, then back to her mother. She’d almost forgotten Amity was there, “That’s Amity, mom. Amity Blight. She’s… she’s my girlfriend.”

Camila’s eyes dashed between her daughter and the green-haired girl. Her mouth dropped as one thought popped in her head: _Girlfriend?_

“Did you say girlfriend, mija?”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Dios mío. This really must be a long story.”

Luz took another deep breath. Amity decided to buy her girlfriend more time to prepare herself.

She brought out her most formal and respectful tone and extended her hand to Camila. 

“Good afternoon, Ms. Noceda. As Luz said, my name’s Amity and it’s nice to meet you.”

Camila smiled. She took Amity’s hand and shook it. 

“It’s lovely to meet you, Amity. My daughter can be quite the ball of energy, can’t she?”

Amity chuckled, her eyes flicking across to where Luz was seated. 

“Yeah, she is.”

Camila looked to Luz, who now couldn't meet her eyes.

“Mija, I want to know what happened. The camp said you never arrived, but you sent me those text messages…. What’s going on?”

“I… I never went to camp Mamá,” she admitted in shame.

“I… I know, baby. Tell me what happened to you. Tell me everything from start to finish.”

Luz took one final breath. She fought back the growing anxiety, and she started the story of how she ended up in the Boiling Isles.

From trying to retrieve her Azura book, to meeting Eda and Owlbert, to their first adventure at the Conformatorium.

Camila was shocked at first to learn that Luz had ended up in another world entirely. She gasped and covered her mouth as Luz told her about the monsters and creatures she had seen. 

Luz felt some relief when she got to the part about staying with Eda, and learning how to become a witch. Camila had gotten over her shock and was now listening intently.

She continued on. She talked about meeting Willow and then Gus. Then, her rocky beginnings with Amity.

She felt even better when Camila seemed to chuckle at her adventures and misadventures with her newfound friends. Somehow, her mother was taking this better than she had predicted. This gave her confidence.

She met her mother’s eyes again and continued. She talked about meeting Lilith, the witch’s duel, then the night at the library and finally befriending Amity. She talked with enthusiasm about finding a way to cast spells despite having no magical capabilities. She talked about learning her first spell and then her second, and Camila listened all the while.

Before long, she was laughing and smiling at her many many misadventures. 

Camila silently noted that, despite Luz’s weirdness she fit right in and everyone not only accepted her, but wanted her around and made the effort to include Luz whenever possible. She was no longer the outcast.

Then, Luz’s enthusiasm began to dim when she talked about the incident at Belos’ castle. Eda being captured and nearly losing her found family. Then, when she reached the day she died, Luz froze as the words got stuck in her throat.

Camila placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. 

“Luz? ¿Qué pasa?”

Luz swallowed as her anxiety bubbled up again. 

“Mom…. there’s no easy way to say this, so, I’m just going to say it.

Camila’s eyebrows creased with concern, but she nodded, encouraging Luz to continue.

“About a week after the Belos incident, I found another strange glyph and decided to show it off to Amity when we were out practicing one evening. The spell summoned a giant, ghostly bat creature. It attacked me... and I went down. Amity... carried me back to the Owl House.”

Camila looked to Amity, but the girl had turned away with a pained expression on her face. Camila began to worry.

“She got me to Eda and Lilith. They… they did everything they could but the damage was done. I died that day, mamí.”

Camila’s eyes widened. 

“You died, mija? _Como,_ muerto _, muerto?”_

“Si mamá.”

“I don’t understand. You’re here, alive and you’re okay. How were you dead?”

“I just… I was gone. At least, I was for a moment. The spell was a transformation spell and apparently that’s how it worked. I died, but then I came back as something else.”

“You came back as something else?” Camila leaned in, still confused, “What did you come back as?”

“A vampire. _..”_ Luz pressed her lips together in a thin line. “The spell killed me, and turned me into a vampire.”

Camila gasped again. 

“No lo creo,” She shook her head. “I don’t believe it.”

“It’s true. When I came to, that’s what we learned. I had been turned into a vampire.”

Camila took Luz’s hands and squeezed them in her own.

“Mija, why did you play with something you didn’t understand? What if that spell had killed you, for good?”

Luz’s stomach flipped, the same guilt that she felt when Eda scolded her resurfacing.

She had nothing to say. No excuses. Everything was her fault.

“It… only gets worse from there. While we immediately decided to fix the problem and return me to normal, it wasn’t that simple.”

She summarized the events of the last few weeks. Learning to adjust to her new abilities and limitations as a vampire, being on the run from Belos, and fighting for her life. Gone was the lighthearted tone from moments before.

Camila listened intently, but Luz avoided meeting her eyes. She wanted to spare herself the terror she would see in her mother’s eyes as she told her how bad things had gotten.

Her mother would react in shock and horror, muttering _Oh my god_ in both English and Spanish as Luz talked about being attacked by her own teacher, and then the Hunters multiple times. She talked about nearly being captured, about Lilith almost being killed. Then, she recounted their narrow escape and how they had to relocate the Owl House and go into hiding.

Luz continued on despite her growing fear that her mother would reject what she would request her when the story was finally finished. She told her about meeting Radu, who shared the ingredients that would cure her, and the process of finding them. 

Finally, she reached the final, decisive battle. How Luz was forced to fight both the Hunters at once, how she was burned and attacked and beaten, and then how she turned the tides using Eda and Lilith’s staves. How she had drunk their blood and, momentarily, was the most powerful person on the battlefield. She beat back the army and saved her family, and then blackmailed the Emperor into leaving them alone.

Luz sighed and slumped into her seat. Amity was seated next to her, gingerly holding the teenager’s hand, trying to comfort her and keep her calm.

Luz forced herself to meet her mother’s eyes, despite how badly she wanted to avoid them.

Camila had buried her face in her hands as she slowly absorbed the information that Luz shared. It was clearly weighing on her, because she let out a long sigh.

_Luz died, came back to life, and was nearly killed again? Multiple times?_

Camila had spent the last few months fearing the worst, and in a strange way, the worst had actually happened. It was by sheer luck that Luz had managed to come back at all.

She really could’ve lost her daughter. She might’ve never seen Luz again.

She felt a strong mix of emotions. Sadness, anger, fear, relief… and she also felt hurt.

“Amity, could you give us a moment? I don’t mean to be rude, but I need to talk to Luz in private.”

Amity looked nervously to Luz, before nodding to Camila. The door to the backyard was nearby, just behind the table. She stepped outside and gently shut the door behind her.

Luz and Camila were left alone, and now Camila could say what she really wanted to.

“Why mija?” She asked, doing nothing to mask the hurt in her voice.

“M-Mom?”

“Why did you lie to me? Why didn’t you just come home?”

Luz felt tears rise to her eyes but she tried to fight them. 

“I’m sorry mamí! I am! I… I messed up like I always do, and you’re right I should’ve just told you.”

“Luz, you have no idea how worried I was about you! Look at this house! This mess! I was so lost after I realized you were gone. And you finally make it back home, only for me to find out that I almost lost you permanently!”  
  


Camila wasn’t yelling, her voice was raised a little louder than her normal speaking volume. But the hurt, pain, and fear in it was very real. Too real for Luz.

“Mom! Wait, it’s not all bad! I made friends, _real_ ones. I’ve got family there now! I’ve even got an amazing girlfriend!”

“You almost _died._ As a matter of fact, you _did_. And you lied to me for weeks, mija. Why?”

“Why?” Luz said, growing frustrated at the thought of her mamá not being able to put two and two together. “Why, mom? You want to know why?”

“Yes, more than anything!”

Luz exhaled sharply. She felt her irritation bubble up; only, it wasn’t just irritation. Luz realized how _alone_ she had felt before meeting Eda and King.

“Because I feel like I _belong_ in the Demon Realm more than I ever did here on Earth!”

Silence. Camila froze after Luz’s outburst. But her daughter wasn’t done.

“Do you know how happy I was when Eda agreed to let me stay with her? Do you know what she told me the day I met her? She said ‘us weirdos have to stick together,’ Mom,” Luz balled her hands into fists. “Do you know why I identify with those words?”

She didn’t give Camila time to answer, and continued. 

“Because I had no real friends before the Boiling Isles. I was an outcast and I was alone. There was no one who wanted to be around me, no one who could bear to be around me except you,” Luz felt her eyes sting with tears. “I was too much for everyone else and they let me know it, every day. And, despite everything I survived. I was… _okay_ . Not happy, but I was _okay_ . Then, I got to the Boiling Isles and met all these people who were _just. Like. Me.”_

“And, when my first adventure was over, I had a choice. Go back home, _here,_ where I never felt like I belonged and was always the odd one out. Come back here so I could go to that summer camp that would suppress my interests for my own benefit, supposedly. Come back and be forced to change just to fit in with people who don’t care about me. _Or…._ stay in the Boiling Isles where there are people who love me for who I am, just like you do.”

Luz had tears in her eyes but she blinked them away. She reached into her pocket, pulled out the item she had received just before she left for the human realm, and placed it on the table in front of Camila. She walked to the backdoor, and before she opened it, she turned back to her mother.

“Mamá, I’m sorry for lying. Lo siento, and I promise I will never do something like this again. But, finding the Boiling Isles is the best thing that has ever happened to me. Aside from being with you, it’s the happiest I’ve ever been, and I want to go back. But, I can’t stay away and let you fear the worst any more. So, I want you to let me go back, and be with my _real_ friends again. You’re my mother so it’s up to you to decide what happens. In the meantime, I’ll be waiting outside with Amity.”

The door closed behind her, leaving Camila alone in the dining room. Her eyes fell on the item on the table.

She picked it up. It was a picture. . A tall woman with gray hair and a golden fang, another with dark blue hair streaked with grey. And then there was a small dog-like creature, and some bird-tube thing?

Camila frowned at the creepy creature but continued looking over the photo.

There was a young girl with glasses and a boy standing next to her. Two older teens with matching green hair and amber eyes. Then, there was Luz and Amity, standing right next to each other.

Everyone looked happy, smiles all around.. And Luz was at the center, surrounded by all these people who clearly loved her. These were the family and friends that she had heard about in Luz’s story.

Camila could feel the care and warmth that emanated from the picture. She sensed that these people would do anything for Luz, and if her stories were anything to go by, her gut feeling was absolutely true.

Luz had been through a lot while she was gone. The Boiling Isles had put her through some horrible, terrifying things. But, here in this photo, Camila could see why Luz wanted to stay in spite of the dangers that had befallen her. And she understood why Luz would’ve never wanted to go to that summer camp.

Luz was happy there, and that was all Camila had ever wanted for her.

She sat in silence for a few moments, thinking quietly. After some time, she rose to her feet and made her way to the backyard to join Luz and Amity.

She had reached a decision and needed to tell Luz. Before anything else, her daughter had to face the consequences of her actions.

  
  


Three hours had elapsed since Luz and Amity disappeared into the portal. Edric and Emira were passed out, quietly snoring on the couch. Willow, Gus, Eda and King were half-heartedly playing Hexes Hold ’em, trying to both pass the time and ease their minds. Lilith watched them play, though it was clear by her expression that she was just as nervous as the rest of them.

Suddenly Eda jumped to her feet, accidentally knocking over all the cards. King was outraged.

“Aw come on! I was actually winning that time!”

“Not now, King,” Eda produced the spare key for the portal. It was glowing and vibrating, meaning that the portal was in use.

They were on their way back.

“Kids, they’re coming back!”

Edric and Emira groggily opened their eyes, dazed and confused. The portal materialized in the living room and swung open, flooding everything in bright light.

Amity emerged from the portal, alone. Everyone froze when they realized it was just her.

“W-wait? Where’s Luz…?” Gus said, “Did her mother tell her-”

“Oh, sorry,” Amity blushed, “She managed to trip and fall in the dimensional barrier. Here she is.”

Right on cue, Luz Noceda emerged from the portal, wearing a lopsided smile.

“Miss me, everyone?” 

“Luz!” The kids quickly stormed over and wrapped her in a group hug. They laughed as Luz squeaked, begging to be let go before being crushed and they pulled back..

“Does this mean that you get to stay in the Demon realm?” Willow asked.

“Well, not quite.”

Eda frowned. 

“What do you mean, kid?”

Luz rubbed the back of her neck. 

“Well, my mom wasn’t happy to hear about what happened to me, but she understood that I was happy here.”

“Right,” Eda nodded. “So?”

“So she decided to make a deal with me. I have to live in the human realm, because I have to at least graduate from high school and whatnot.”

“What’s high school?” Gus whispered to Willow.

“No idea.”

“My mom said that if I promise to finish school in the human realm, then I would be free to come and stay here in the Boiling Isles. She also said that I can come visit on the weekends…”

“YES!” Gus exclaimed, high fiving Edric.

“After I’m done with being grounded for a month.”

“Oh,” Gus’ shoulders sagged, and Willow patted him comfortingly on the shoulder.

“But I managed to convince her to let Amity visit me while I’m grounded, since we’re dating and she saved my life a few times. 

“Alright, it could be worse,” Eda sighed. “What else did she say?”

“She says she would like to meet you. She wants to know the person who’s taken care of her daughter all this time. And, one day she’d like to meet all of you.”

“Well, alright kid. Just don’t blame me if your mom falls for me. I’m quite the catch, after all.”

“Eda!”

“Edalyn!”

“What?” She waved a hand. “It’s the truth!”

“So this means you won’t be leaving us?” Willow asked, still unsure.

“Yup,” Luz grinned. “You guys better get used to my face,because I’m not going _anywhere!”_

She opened her arms again, welcoming another crushing group hug, this time with Eda being pulled in by King (who grumbled about it, but didn’t bother hiding a smile). Amity hugged her the hardest of all, and planted a gentle kiss on Luz’s cheek. 

Luz was happy. . Not only did she get to see her mamá again and finally tell her the truth, but she got to hold onto all the people she held dearest to her heart.

Luz couldn’t smile any harder if she tried.

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally done ladies and gentlemen! Vampire in Bonesborough is finished!
> 
> I thank each and every one of you who check my story out, wrote a comment, dropped kudos, subscribed and favorited! You've given me confidence in telling stories and have motivated me to continue with writing! 
> 
> Also, special thanks to CodeNora and Lexa_Alycia! They've been a huge help as beta readers and editors for this story, and just by looking through the chapters after their edits, I think I've grown more as a writer! Thanks so much you two!
> 
> Now, some of you may be wondering what's next? I still want to do the Ghost Eda story, but, it may take some time to develop that before I post the first chapter. One problem I had with this story is that some things could've been planned out a little better, and I could've spent more time developing the newer characters.
> 
> I think Radu was alright, but, I should've worked a little harder on the Hunters. I realized some time ago when writing them that, thanks to their lack of development, they didn't really strike as much fear as I thought they should. After all, they were the ones who participated in the Emperor's genocide, right? They should've been more fleshed out to make them more threatening and intimidating, at least in my opinion.
> 
> But, hey, that was the point of writing this story, aside from wanting to do a story about surviving while on the run. I wanted to improve and here I am improving!
> 
> Also, I did have a few other ideas for stories. Who knows, I might drop a short story in the meantime before I do the Ghost Eda story. 
> 
> Once again, thanks to everyone for supporting this story. Once again, I ask that if you have anything you want to tell me about the story and it's quality and/or content, feel free to do so in the comments! It brings me life to see people tell what they think!
> 
> You guys take care and stay safe out there. You should see me again before too long!


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